Mundaring and Hills Historical Society

The Mundaring and Hills Historical Society (MHHS) is a local-history organisation based in Mundaring, Western Australia, with a focus on documenting, preserving and interpreting the heritage of the Shire of Mundaring and the surrounding Hills region. Established in 1989, the Society emerged in response to the loss and fragmentation of historical information concerning local communities, residents, properties and events. Its work has helped bring together records and recollections that might otherwise have remained dispersed or disappeared. The Society’s activities extend beyond collecting historical material. It maintains a museum presence, undertakes heritage and conservation projects, supports public interpretation of local places, and publishes research about the district. Its operational headquarters are located in the former Mundaring Station Master’s House, a heritage property associated with the railway history of the area. The Society also operates the Mundaring District Museum in the former Mundaring School building. Together, these sites provide settings for displaying objects, documents and stories connected with the district’s social, transport, educational and community history. Railway heritage is an important part of the Society’s public role. The Hills communities were historically connected by railway branches, and sections of those routes now form the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail. MHHS is one of the organisations involved in Trek the Trail, an annual outdoor event that uses parts of the trail to connect public recreation with local history and heritage awareness. The Society has also used grants and community support to deliver specific heritage projects. In 2004 it secured funding for the Chidlow Proclamation Train Sculpture, commemorating the role of Chidlow as the last stopping point before Perth for the Western Australian Governor’s train carrying the colony’s first constitution in 1890. In the same year, it contributed research and helped enable restoration of the Parkerville Roll of Honour, a memorial whose historical interpretation was strengthened by research into the people named on it. These projects illustrate the Society’s combination of archival research, grant-supported conservation and community collaboration. Its publications cover subjects including women’s contributions to the Mundaring district, the history of volunteer bush-fire brigades, the history of Mundaring around its 1898 centenary, and a creative community project developed with the Mundaring Arts Centre. The Society is affiliated with the Royal Western Australian Historical Society, linking its local work to the wider historical-society network in Western Australia. It was a finalist in the 2011 Western Australian Heritage Awards. The organisation’s public identity is therefore centred on local stewardship rather than commercial consumer branding: it serves as a repository, research body, museum operator, publisher and participant in heritage events for the Mundaring and Hills community.

The Mundaring and Hills Historical Society was established in 1989 in the Shire of Mundaring, in the Hills area east of Perth, Western Australia. Its creation responded to concerns that information about the district’s communities, residents, properties and heritage places was being lost or retained only in scattered personal and local records. The Society developed as a vehicle for gathering, preserving and making accessible this material. Over time, MHHS expanded from a collecting and research role into a broader heritage organisation. It attracted funding and community support for the maintenance of a museum and for projects that connected historical research with public places and commemorations. Its operational headquarters are located in the former Mundaring Station Master’s House, a heritage building reflecting the importance of rail transport to the development and connection of the Hills communities. The Society also operates the Mundaring District Museum in the former Mundaring School building. These premises support the display and interpretation of local objects, documents, photographs and historical narratives. The district’s railway history has remained a significant part of the Society’s work. Earlier communities were linked by railway branches, and portions of the former railway routes now make up the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail. MHHS participates in Trek the Trail, an annual event using sections of the trail as an outdoor community activity. Through this involvement, the Society helps connect the physical landscape and transport history of the region with contemporary public engagement. The Society has undertaken and supported commemorative and conservation projects. In 2004 it obtained grant funding for the Chidlow Proclamation Train Sculpture, marking Western Australia’s 175th anniversary and Proclamation Day. The project recognised Chidlow as the final stopping point before Perth for the Governor’s train carrying Western Australia’s first constitution in 1890. Also in 2004, the Parkerville Roll of Honour was restored with assistance from the ANZAC Day Working Group’s Small Grant Scheme and a substantial contribution from a local ratepayers and residents group. MHHS researched the roll and supplied further insight into the individuals named on it. Publication has been another important part of the organisation’s historical work. Its documented titles include a study of women in Mundaring whose lives influenced the district, a history of volunteer bush-fire brigades in the Shire from 1903 to 2010, a centenary history of Mundaring covering 1898 to 1998, and a collaborative publication or creative project produced with the Mundaring Arts Centre. These works show the Society’s interest in social, civic, emergency-service, community and cultural history. MHHS is affiliated with the Royal Western Australian Historical Society and functions as a local conduit for heritage concerns in the Shire of Mundaring. Its recognition as a finalist in the 2011 Western Australian Heritage Awards reflects the public significance attributed to its heritage activities. Available reference material does not establish a complete chronology of its officeholders, membership structure, finances or later programmes. The Society’s documented historical profile nevertheless presents it as a community-focused organisation combining collection management, museum operation, publication, research, restoration and participatory heritage events.

• 2011

  Western Australian Heritage Awards finalist

  [1]Mundaring and Hills Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  MHHS became a finalist in the Western Australian Heritage Awards.

• 2004

  Chidlow Proclamation Train Sculpture

  [1]Mundaring and Hills Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Society secured a grant for a Chidlow sculpture commemorating the 1890 constitutional train journey and Western Australia’s 175th anniversary observances.

• 2004

  Parkerville Roll of Honour restoration

  [1]Mundaring and Hills Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Society researched and supported restoration of the Parkerville Roll of Honour through grant and community funding.

• 1989

  Society established

  [1]Mundaring and Hills Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Mundaring and Hills Historical Society was formed to preserve historical information about the Shire of Mundaring and the surrounding Hills communities.

A community-based historical and heritage organisation preserving the history of Mundaring and the surrounding Hills through museums, collections, research, publications, restoration projects and public events.

• Museum

  Mundaring District Museum

  A museum operated by the Society in the former Mundaring School building. It provides a venue for presenting material connected with the history of Mundaring and the surrounding Hills district.

• Historical publication · 2000

  Patchwork of Memories

  A 2000 publication documenting the lives and contributions of women in Mundaring whose activities made a difference to the local community.

• Historical publication · 2011

  All Fired Up

  A history of volunteer bush-fire brigades in the Shire of Mundaring from 1903 to 2010, issued by the Society and authored by Ian Duckham.

• Historical publication · 1998

  Mundaring Centenary, 1898–1998

  A centenary history of Mundaring produced by the Society, covering the period associated with the town’s 1898–1998 centenary.

• Community history project · 2002

  Memory Rewind Play

  A 2002 project developed by the Mundaring Arts Centre in conjunction with the Society, combining local historical material with an arts-based community presentation.

• Trek the Trail

  Shire of Mundaring · Perth Hills, Western Australia

  The Society is involved in the annual Trek the Trail event, which uses sections of the Railway Reserve Heritage Trail to promote outdoor participation and awareness of the area’s railway and community history.

  Outcome. The event provides a recurring public platform linking recreation with local heritage interpretation.

  Source

• 2004

  Grant-backed Chidlow commemorationOther

  Background

  The Society sought to mark Chidlow’s role in the 1890 journey of the Western Australian Governor’s train carrying the colony’s first constitution.

  Action taken

  It obtained a grant for the Chidlow Proclamation Train Sculpture.

  Aftermath

  The sculpture project became a permanent commemorative expression of the site’s constitutional and railway history.

  Source

• 2004

  Parkerville Roll of Honour restorationOther

  Background

  The Parkerville Roll of Honour required restoration, while the identities and histories of the people named on it warranted further research.

  Action taken

  The Society researched the roll and supported restoration funded through a small grant and local community contributions.

  Aftermath

  The restored memorial benefited from expanded historical interpretation and preserved community remembrance.

  Source

1. 1Mundaring and Hills Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mundaring and Hills Historical Society official websitemundaringhistory.org