Diane and Peter awarded life membership

The Rainbow Archive and Historical Society marked a proud moment at its Christmas meeting on Monday, December 1, when two outstanding members, Diane Wall and Peter Ralph, were each awarded Life Membership in recognition of their exceptional service, leadership and decades-long contribution to preserving Rainbow’s history.

Two pillars of Rainbow’s history have been honoured. Diane Wall (left) and Peter Ralph are now Life Members of the Rainbow Archive & Historical Society after decades of extraordinary service.

Diane has poured many years and much passion into building and strengthening the Rainbow Archive and Historical Society and, through it, our community.

Elected President at the very first meeting of the Rainbow Archive in 1996, Diane went on to provide steady leadership for the next 28 years.

Her involvement, however, stretches back even further.

In 1993 Diane was elected president of the re-formed Rainbow Progress Association and along with the late Robert Long, was at the forefront of the RPA’s decision to purchase the Masonic Lodge and establish it as an Archive.

In 1997 the Rainbow Historical Society formally closed, transferring its collection to the Archive Committee and thus the Rainbow Archive and Historical Society came into existence.

The official opening of the Archive was in May 1998.

The early years of setting up the Archive were full of challenges and Diane never shied away from them.

The fundraising alone was enormous, for repairs, equipment, and improvements to the building.

Diane played a leading role in organising many fundraising events, including the fantastic “Dancing with the Stars” and “Stars in Their Eyes” nights, and she and Anne Simms ran the successful plant stalls in Federal Street.

She also oversaw, with Anne’s help, the creation of the Archive’s garden in 2001, turning what was a bare site into an attractive, drought-resistant garden.

As the Archive grew, so did Diane’s contributions. She helped manage the Mechanics Library and Doll Museum and undertook and supported countless projects with her ‘can-do’, no-nonsense approach.

One of Diane’s stand out traits is the way she has supported and encouraged other RAHS members with their projects, assisting quietly in the background.

Diane has also worked tirelessly to raise the Archive’s profile in the wider community.

She has brought in helpers for events and displays, and encouraged donations of photos, documents, slides and films. With that came the enormous task of sorting, cataloguing and storing what sometimes felt like mountains of new acquisitions, but she kept going with her dogged determination, often taking things home to sort.

In 2015, Diane took on the additional role of Research Officer - a position she held until she stepped down this year.

She has spent countless hours at the Archive and just as many at home tracking down leads, contacting families, organising property visits, digging out the smallest details.

She often went above and beyond because she loved helping people uncover their stories.

Diane’s leadership, hard work, dynamo-like energy and unwavering commitment have left an incredible legacy over such a long period and have helped make Rainbow Archive and Historical Society what it is today.

Peter joined the RAHS in 2005 and became Secretary in 2009, holding that role

right through to 2024. Peter was an excellent secretary: efficient, organised, and meticulous.

His care and professionalism were instrumental in safeguarding important materials, including the transfer of the Ian Wood films to the Archive collection.

One of Peter’s greatest contributions has been his dedication to safeguarding our history for the future.

He took on the enormous task of digitising our photo collection, hundreds upon hundreds of images.

Not only did he scan them, but he also enhanced them, improving clarity and detail.

He also scanned other precious documents, including Ern Ampt’s diaries and Bill McLeod’s war diary, and in 2016 obtained a grant to digitise Mackenzie’s collection of glass slides.

editions. With the generous financial assistance of the late Michael Wishart, he arranged the digitisation of microfiche copies, making our local history far more accessible to the community.

He has been at the heart of many activities, including show exhibitions, Sunday film afternoons, the 2022 Federal Street walking tour, and the 2023 bus trip to Pella via Albacutya and Pigick.

project is another example of Peter’s knack for sparking community interest.

This project started with a single display book of pictures from one decade of last century - photographs of Rainbow and district sporting teams, clubs, events etc for the residents of Bowhaven/Weeah Lodge to reminisce over.

The project then expanded to a display book for each decade of the 20th century with copies at the Cafe as well as the Archive.

These books have generated enormous interest from both locals and visitors to the town and represent an enormous amount of work by Peter.

Perhaps the project closest to Peter’s heart was the 2018 Anzac Day Dawn service and exhibition marking 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Peter researched each fallen soldier, finding and enhancing their photographs and piecing together their stories with great care.

The result was deeply moving and touched all who attend the service and viewed the exhibition.

He has continued his research into local veterans and this year worked with Allira Roberts and the P-12 College Year 5/6 students in another moving commemoration, this time for soldiers who fell in WWII.

column: beautifully written and carefully researched text to accompany a photo from the Archive, chosen for its relevance to local happenings.

Peter should feel very chuffed by the community response to these columns.

They certainly led to a lot of conversations about the past and often prompted people to fill in missing names on photos or provide extra information.

Peter has earned deep trust within the community. People readily share their memories, photos and documents with him because they know he will treat these treasures with respect and use them to strengthen the historical record

Peter’s contribution to the RAHS has been thoughtful, thorough and has had great impact.

He has helped to build a richer, better-preserved and more accessible history of Rainbow and surrounds.

Our community’s connection to its past is stronger because of his efforts.

He should feel proud that he, to borrow his own words, has helped “keep the community heritage with honour and dignity.”