A small Riverina village rich in history will light the sky on the weekend in celebration of 100 years since it was established.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A three-day event will kick off this Friday to celebrate Rankins Springs' centenary, with a night of music, a historical display and a time capsule just a few of the things residents can expect.
Rankins Springs is a small village located in the Carrathool Shire on the Mid-Western Highway and was first established as a village in January 1923.
The original Rankins Springs was first an overnight stop on the Whitton Stock Route about 10 kilometres north of the current town.
When the railway opened in a different location, the town and townspeople moved down the road.
The "tight-knit" community is inviting former Rankins Springs residents and those across the Riverina to help mark the milestone.
The idea for the event first came about a year ago thanks to a group of residents who pitched the idea to the Rankins Springs Progress Association.
Among the group is Rankins Springs Progress Association vice present Jamie Parsons who has been helping to organise the event.
The Friday opening night is a free event which requires securing a ticket to attend and will be hosted by MC Jim Caughey.
"We will be having some guest speakers including Carrathool Shire Mayor Darryl Jardine and local member for Murray Helen Dalton who is actually originally from Rankins Springs," Mr Parsons said.
"We will be showing the movie Rankins Springs is West, which was released in 1951 by the Shell Oil Company to showcase rural living and featuring many ancestors of the current towns citizens, will then be shown on a big screen.
"The most appealing part will be for those who really enjoy historical things. We will have a lot of historical things on display - a lot of photos - the main appeal of the weekend is to celebrate our history.
"We have a lot of buildings from the early part of the last centenary and old railway buildings, things like that."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Mr Parsons said it will be the perfect event for history lovers or those who once lived in the township and are looking to catch up with old friends.
"We're hoping to get most of the community and residents from surrounding towns to come out and a lot of people who use to live here to come back to visit for a bit of a reunion," he said.
Mr Parsons said Rankins Springs is a close-knit community where everyone looks out for each other.
"I've always loved the small town aspect of it," he said.
Following the opening night, residents will be able to enjoy a jam-packed Saturday.
Saturday will start with breakfast catered by the Rankins Springs Fire Brigade at the Hall, with the hall then open all day with historical displays of the regions local clubs and organisations.
A slideshow featuring old photos of decades past and interviews with older residents about their experiences growing up in the district will also be on display.
Lunch will then be available from Tucker Den from the hall kitchen with food also available at the general store and food vans at the pub.
Visitors will be able to enter old buildings not usually available to the public, including the Public School which will be open to all from 10am to 12pm in the morning and the school grounds which will be open all day.
Wallys Junk Art Gallery will be displaying all of The Kings junk artwork and the Sport and Recreation Grounds and clubhouse and the old Post Office next to the petrol station which closed in 1993 will also all be open.
The local Country Women's Association will be hosting a Devonshire tea at 2pm in the CWA Rooms on Ninti Street, and a bus will be taking three tours to the Old Pub at 11am, 12.30pm and 2pm, now on land owned by Anthony and Katie Luelf.
A time capsule will also be at the hall during the day, with residents invited to collect an A4 size envelope from the hall to preserve a memory or some photos.
The time capsule will then be buried at 3pm in the pump shed park adjacent to the hall.
The hall will remain open into the night for those who wish just to sit around and catch up, or to hold their own mini-reunion.
The Saturday will also see the launch of the 100 Years of Rankins Springs history book, contributed to by many of the current townspeople representing their clubs and organisations and edited by Mr Parsons.
The book lists a decade-by-decade retelling of Rankins Springs since 1923, using the vast amount of historical information recorded by Ted and Jean Guiton and Audrey Parsons.
Along with the new book, prior history books Conapaira Links and Missing Links will be available to purchase along with centenary merchandise such as trucker caps, bucket hats, wine glasses and stubby holders.
"The other thing people will enjoy is the music event at the pub which will just be like a big party and I think live music and a night out will be good for the pub there," Mr Parsons said.
From 2.00pm the Conapaira Hotel will be hosting a live music event, with the adjacent road and car park fenced off.
Residents will be able to enjoy the sounds of The Madcoats and Max Jones, with food vans and a jumping castle also set to be on site.
"The event will go late into the night and then we will have a fireworks display by Slattery Fireworks which will set off at around 7pm."
Celebrations will wind down on Sunday with a breakfast to be held at the hall, catered by the Rankins Springs Gold Club.
"For those bringing their caravans, the Rankins Springs Caravan Park is available and if that is booked out then caravans can park at the Rankins Springs Golf Club or the Rankins Springs Sport and Recreation Ground," Mr Parsons said.
Other visitors will be able to get accommodation in Griffith, with a bus set to leave the Griffith Visitor's Centre at 9am on Saturday to bring people out to the centenary celebrations.
The bus will return to Griffith at 4pm, but residents will be required to purchase a ticket.
Attendees are required to contact the Rankins Springs Town Centenary 1923-2023 Facebook page.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Download our app from the Apple Store or Google Play
- Bookmark dailyadvertiser.com.au
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News