Lyn Myles, Researcher, Darlington History Group talks to Trea Wiltshire

She is rightly known as ‘The Ferret’ for the determination she brings to a hunt, but Lyn Myles could equally be tagged Miss Marple as she calls on a range of deductive skills to unravel the mysteries surrounding a person, place or event that warrants a place in our local history. Lyn Myles is an invaluable researcher for the Darlington History Group, and whenever the Review has a history query, she is our first port of call. And we’re not alone. Lyn has also helped unearth the stories behind century-old homes purchased by new arrivals – because our village has a string of historic homesteads and cottages – and to find out more about the pioneering families who settled in Darlington at the turn of the 20th century. The teacher turned researcher has long been interested in history and her mother grew up in one of our impressive homesteads, the lovely Cairngorm in Dalry Road. However, it wasn’t until Lyn retired after 35 years as a science teacher that she was able to develop her research skills. “My brother and I have always had shared interests, and he’d already done quite a bit of work on our family’s genealogy by the time I retired, so I was determined to catch up and surpass him! And it’s such a good time to be doing this work given our access to both Ancestry.com and DNA testing and the growing interest in family history as a result of TV programs like Who Do You Think You Are?” she recalls. When, a decade ago, the call went out for a gathering of locals interested in preserving Darlington’s history, Lyn was a key participant in the birth of the Darlington History Group which is garnering an impressive reputation. Preserving local history had been one of the key recommendations of the aspirational Darlington Towards 2060 workshops (organised by DRRA in the 1990s) and workshop participants Reg Kelly and Arlene Collings were charged with the task of taking this forward. “Arlene had accumulated countless snippets of information while working at The Pines General Store during the 1990s. Whenever a customer told her some interesting local history or had a query about a house, she’d jot it down on a lolly bag and go in search of answers,” recalls Lyn. “And locals like Judy Love [President of the Mundaring and Hills Historical Society] had also accumulated a small resource in the form of oral histories. “I put my name down for oral history because that was my interest. I was also aware that well-known resident Shirley Pepper was ill and knew she had limited time, so one of our first tasks was helping to record her family history. Shirley’s recollections were brilliant and she had lovely photos of Darlington in the early 50s.

To me it was a wonderful story. Shirley had worked with me at Cyril Jackson High School and she used to type my exam papers, so it was a pleasure to be able to write her oral history. “Chris McConigley [who went on to be President of DHG] did the oral history and I did the family genealogy and we put it all together into a booklet and onto a CD and gave it to the Pepper family for Christmas. Shirley died a few months later. Being involved in that got me hooked on just how valuable oral histories could be, not only to an individual family but to the wider community. “After that we tracked down all the existing oral histories that the Mundaring and Hills Historical Society had, plus important documents like the late Trevor Tuckfield’s history of Darlington, and began our own collection of oral histories. All this material is now on our website and Shirley’s oral history will be on the website soon.” The DHG website is impressive – and growing. At www.dhg.org.au you will get an insight into Darlington’s first decades through potted histories of pioneering families whose names will be familiar as many roads perpetuate their memories. You’ll also learn about locals who served in both World Wars; the stories of local schools and notable buildings; plus maps, posters, and information about DHG’s substantial output of books. There’s also an online shop where publications can be purchased. Lyn and DHG webmaster Rob Borsje have also combined their historical and technical talents to produce the Darlington Village Walkabout (https://walkingmaps.com.au) that could be an ideal introduction to our historic village for new residents. This stroll through history covers the original wine cellar, the two original railway station sites, the schools and churches. On a personal note Lyn has appreciated how researching her own family history has given her insights into the social mores of an earlier era as she tries to learn more about a grandfather she never met. Her grandmother was an unmarried mother whose baby was adopted by Lyn’s grandparents. “My mother was never told she was adopted until after she’d married, although her husband was told in case he had reservations about a bride deemed ‘illegitimate’. That was the way the world was at that time. “Through Ancestry.com and DNA testing we’re getting close to perhaps finding out who mum’s father was, and of course there’s never been a better time to do this sort of tracing and now that we have cracked the DNA code. It’s also fascinating. If you’re an artist or musician wondering where your creativity comes from when the rest of your relatives are so different, I guarantee if you go far back enough you’ll find the relative who bestowed that talent.” Lyn is also gathering information for a WWII honour board of locals who served in that conflict and in the Vietnam War. The hope is that it will eventually hang beside the refurbished Great War honour board (pictured) in Darlington Hall. “Long term residents are a great source of information for projects like this. At present I have only about nine names for Vietnam vets, so I would love to hear from any local with information about relatives who served in these two wars.” You can contact Lyn at myleslc@bigpond.com or telephone on 9298 8604.

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