Historic weekend to return

THE Anderson’s Mill Heritage Weekend will return this May thanks to funding from Hepburn Shire Council and Community Bank Creswick and District.

The weekend is free and run by volunteers, so the money will support infrastructure required on the day including toilets and first aid.

“It’s a community-based, volunteer event,” said Alan Just, secretary of Anderson’s Mill Heritage Weekend Incorporated.

“Without the funding we wouldn’t be able to run it.”

Cheryl Just, president of Anderson’s Mill Heritage Weekend Incorporated said it is important the event is free, so it is accessible to the community.

“Right from the start we wanted to make the event free so anyone could come,” she said.

“Because it’s Mother’s Day weekend, we thought it was a really nice place for people to come out to.”

This will be the seventh event at the mill to showcase its history which dates back more than 150 years.

“It is a five-story bluestone mill, and it still exists with all its buildings,” said Ms Just.

“It has still got its water wheel which a lot of buildings don’t have anymore.”

 

The event also coincides with Mills Weekend in the United Kingdom which celebrates milling heritage.

As part of the celebration, amateur radio operators set up at mills to contact each other and discuss history, and Bendigo Amateur Radio Club will be joining in at Anderson’s.

“They have what’s called Mills on the Air where amateur radio groups set up and broadcast to other mills and we became the first outside of Europe to link into that,” said Mr Just.

“We have that international connection.”

Anderon’s Mill Heritage Weekend will be on Sunday 10 and Sunday 11 May.

More information can be found on the Anderon’s Mill Heritage Weekend Facebook page.