Mature eyes on history

The Evergreen residents engrossed in the talk. 173433_01 Picture: BONNY BURROWS

By Bonny Burrows

In one of Evergreen Retirement Village’s most successful events to date, residents recently gathered to explore Pakenham’s history in an enthralling talk by historian Heather Arnold.
Held on 27 September, more than 40 of the village’s residents turned out to hear Ms Arnold talk them through how the former country town came to be the suburb it is today.
Residents heard how there was some confusion about the origins of the name Pakenham, with Ms Arnold saying she knew of four possible stories.
Ms Arnold also discussed the history of local landmarks including St Patrick’s Catholic Church, the Pakenham Racecourse, the Pakenham Hotel (originally Fraser’s Hotel), and Bourke’s Hotel.
Local identities past and present including the Bourke Family, Thomas Henty and Duncan McGregor were also hot topics of discussion.
Event organiser Sharyn Allsopp said it was fantastic to see some many residents attend the session.
“It’s just brilliant to see them all come out and enjoy something,” Ms Allsopp said.
“As soon as I put notice of this event out it became so popular.”
Ms Allsopp said the retirement village was made up of a mix of long-time locals and those who had moved to the area for care.
“A few grew up in Pakenham, especially Norma (Jackson), and they’re the group who want to know more about their community,” she said.
“But we’ve also got a lot of outsiders who may not know about the local area, so this is a great opportunity for them to learn a bit about Pakenham.”
Ms Allsopp said the event’s success meant the village would “definitely” hold another history talk again.
The village thanked the “amazing” Ms Arnold for giving her time and knowledge on the day.