Christmas Closure

Maffra and District Historical Society (and the Sugar Beet Museum) are now closed for the Christmas break.

Museum openings will resume on the first Sunday of the month in February, 10am to 2pm to coincide with the market.

The research crew will be back at the Maffra Library from 1pm to 3pm on Mondays from 17 January, staff permitting.

However if you are traveling some distance to Maffra over the holidays, you can contact us to make an appointment. e-mail kapana[at]netspace.net.au or ring 0418 573 828.

It is actually worth contacting us at any time of the year if you are visiting from a distance - you cannot always rely on the member best-suited to your enquiry being available on the day, and you never know what you will find out if you give us some notice.

We hope everyone has a Peaceful and Joyous Christmas. if you are on the roads, please take care.

Publicans' Licences

We have been cataloguing a group of Publican's Licenses held for all hotels in the Maffra Shire 1882/1883. In many ways these raise more questions than they answer. No-one knows where the Cricketers Arms was at Briagolong, but a lack of a license is this group for the current hotel suggests it was an alternate name for that hotel.

And did everyone realise there were this many hotels then around Donnellys Creek/Store Point/Brunton's Bridge? Especially that there was a hotel on the Seaton side of the bridge?

The licenses held are:

William Kiss of the Macalister Hotel Maffra for the Riversdale races, 1882.
William Kiss of the Macalister Hotel in Maffra, 1882.
William Bannister of Camden Hotel, Maffra 1882.
James Knox for Metropolitan Hotel at Maffra, 1882.

John Michael Curtain for unnamed hotel at Glenmaggie, 1882.
Margaret Ryan of Glenmaggie for the Glenmaggie Hotel, 1882.

Jane Crooks of the Thomson Hotel in Heyfield, 1882.
Jane Crooks of Heyfield for the Heyfield Races March 1883.
Robert Templeton of Heyfield for the Commercial Hotel, 1882.

Alexander McKenzie of Briagolong for the Cricketers Arms Hotel, 1882.

Alfred William Morgan of Bundalaguah Hotel, 1882.

Mary Ann Rawlings of Newry for the Farmers Arms Hotel, 1882.

William Watson of Tinamba for an un-named hotel, 1882.

Margaret O'Reilley of Glenmaggie for the Seaton Hotel, 1882. (NB see below re Carl Rumpff).
Carl Rumpff of Seaton for the Seaton Hotel. (NB see above re Margaret O'Reilley) 1882.
So, did they get the name wrong for one hotel? Both were issued on the same date.

Application for renewal, Thomson Bridge Hotel, Walhalla Road via Toongabbie, from John C. Buchanan, Dec 1882.
John C. Buchanan of Thomson bridge for the Thomson Bridge Hotel, 1882. (Magistrate sitting at Walhalla), 1884.

Robert Stack of Donnelly's Creek for the Donnelly's Creek Hotel, 1883 (Magistrate sitting at Walhalla).

Timothy O'Sullivan of Donnelly's Creek for the Store Point Hotel, 1884.