THE HERVEY Bay community gathered to mark two significant milestones celebrated by the Hervey Bay Family History Association and the Fraser Coast Hervey Bay Library.
Over 40 attendees, including Mayor George Seymour, current and former library staff, visitors, and association members, joined in the festivities.
The first occasion marked the 25th anniversary of the Hervey Bay Family History Association’s move into the Hervey Bay Library.
In 2000, Dallas Curry, then Library Manager, invited the Association to relocate into the library to manage the combined family history collection.
Since then, the Family History room has grown into a bustling research hub frequented by locals and visitors alike.
“With all our online research resources which include Ancestry.com, Find My Past, Australian and overseas Birth, Death & Marriage records etc. We also have an extensive collection of books on families, towns, cemeteries, convicts in Australia etc.
“Our volunteers are there six days a week to help anyone with their research.
We will definitely be able to help you with your research,” said representatives of the Association.
The second highlight was the launch of a booklet documenting all known burials in the Nikenbah Cemetery.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the construction of the first Christian church in the Hervey Bay district, built by Danish settlers from the village of Aalborg—now known as Nikenbah—alongside the cemetery.
Dedicated members of the Hervey Bay Family History Association conducted extensive research for the booklet.
All supporting records have been digitised and are accessible in the Family History room at the Hervey Bay Library.
The booklet is available for purchase at the Family History room in the Fraser Coast Regional Library, Pialba, for $10 plus $8 postage and packaging.
Those wishing to order by mail can contact the Association via email at herveybay.famhist@gmail.com for payment details.
The events not only celebrated a quarter-century of community history research but also preserved a vital piece of local heritage for future generations.
