June 2023 Calendar

Wedding Photos

Wedding photos are the most kept image found among family mementos, a precious keepsake from the past, from the time when snapping an image or creating an album was not an daily activity. These two images are from the Weddings folder held by the Inverleigh Historical Society which covers local marriages from 1920 onwards. It is interesting to compare the decades showing fashion changes and styles from the seated groom with the bride behind, to multi coloured bridesmaids and big hairstyles. The marriage of Allan McDonald and Mary Nicholson took place in 1928 with attendants Maggie Nicholson and “Jack” McDonald. Allan, also known as “Scottie” was the son of Lachlan McDonald and Isabella nee Warrington. McDonald’s were the town butchers and the Warrington’s owned the Inverleigh Hotel. Mary’s family had an orchard along Common Road and her aunt had married the local Postmaster. Allan is carefully holding his gloves and the shine on the mens shoes is impressive. Allan and Mary moved to Winchelsea where Allan worked as a stock and station agent.

Around this time, it was usual for the ‘Inverleigh Correspondent’ newshound to give a gloriously detailed description of weddings and funerals, but there is no mention of these nuptials in the Geelong Advertiser. A year previously his sister Bertha McDonald’s wedding report ran to three columns describing dresses, floral decorations and the seven speeches and toasts with replies.

The second wedding photo is of Valentine Dawber and Marion Robertson who married in 1943. The Dawber family worked on ‘Barunah Plains’ and Val attended Hesse school where Marion was also a pupil. This was a quickly organised wedding as Val had received call-up papers for war service. Marion wore a borrowed wedding dress, and they were married at the Presbyterian Church, Inverleigh. Borrowing a dress was common during wartime. Upon returning home, Val was back on ‘Barunah Plains’ as a rabbiter where they lived in a small cottage on Nine Mile paddock. With the advent of the Soldier Settler estates at Wingeel and Barunah, a school bus run was established. and Val took on the job of bus driver and the family moved to Inverleigh. Students from those days are still telling stories of their antics on “Mr. Dawber’s bus” including being put off at the Police Station and given a walk/run to school for misbehaving.

These were times when social activities were mostly local including church, sport, dances and get togethers resulting in marriages within the neighbourhood, not the wider connections provided in later years.

If you have a wedding image you would like to be included in the folder, please contact the Inverleigh Historical Society. inverleighhistsoc@gmail.com

Liz McDonald & Valma Robertson