Thanks to the generous support of donors to the 2023 Tax Time appeal, two significant local history pamphlet collections have recently been digitised and are now available to explore on Trove.

Combined, the Ferguson local history microform collection and the McLaren local history microform collection contain more than 5,000 items from across the nation, dating as far back as the 1840s.

These collections are a rich resource for local and family historians. The best way to learn about the collections is to dive in and explore them online! You will come across an array of material including local, church, and school histories as well as tourist guides, copies of diaries and much more.

Some items have a specific focus, like this pamphlet from the Western Australia based Santa Maria Ladies' College outlining school fees, and boarders' requirements and regulations at the school.

Other items provide a broader insight into an industry or community at different time periods. This commemorative program from the 'Fourth Annual Vintage Festival' in the Barossa Valley tells us how the Barossa Valley community celebrated harvest season in the mid 20th century. The program included rodeo events, brass band concerts, a grand parade of floats and variety program. The South Australian Grape Picking Championships was another highlight of the event.

The church histories in the collection provide another insight into the lives of church leaders and their congregations in towns across Australia. These histories show the contributions of individuals which, as volunteer work, are not always acknowledged on a larger scale. The history of The Gympie Presbyterian Church quotes the 1920 Annual Report acknowledging the vital role the Women's Guild played in raising funds for the church:

The history notes the myriad other tasks women on the committee contributed over many years, some serving on the committee for twenty-five years.

The digitised collections also include some small publications with personal memoirs or reflections such as Molly's Adelaide Letters. Published in 1903, this booklet includes letters written by English visitor Molly Travers describing her travels in Adelaide. She wrote to her sister:

Through Molly's eyes we also see the social activities available to visitors to Adelaide at the turn of the twentieth century.

Another view of the world is offered by artist and historical researcher Fearn Rowntree in her Battery Point Sketch Book, published in the 1950s, which includes detailed drawings of architecture in the Hobart suburb.

Fearn wrote of her sketches:

Like Fearn's sketches, the McLaren and Ferguson digitised pamphlet collections are 'treasures of the past', now available for everyone to explore on Trove. Let us know what gems you find!