JOHN Taylor has been proud to call Myrtleford home for 51 years after being posted to the Myrtleford High School in January 1972.
Born in Tatura, he was educated at the local state school and Shepparton High School before heading off to university and teaching in Castlemaine and Alexandra.
With a country upbringing, John's appointment to what is now the Myrtleford P–12 College would have felt like putting on a comfortable, familiar pair of shoes and he certainly embraced the life and people of the area, becoming a senior teacher in 1977 and assistant principal in 1989 before retiring at the end of the 2001 school year.
"It is very gratifying, after a 30 year teaching career here, that I am still able to regularly catch up with old students who willingly share their latest stories," John said.
"There is much warmth and respect and it really is so easy to live here and enjoy Myrtleford and North East Victoria.
"The variable landscape, the opportunities to enjoy the natural world, the industry of its people and the open friendly multicultural community make it a pleasant place to live and I am proud to have called it home for all these years.
While his longest position held in the area was as a teacher, John's subsequent 22 year retirement has not been spent idle and his achievements speak for themselves:
Convenor and president of the Friends of the Reform Hill since 2001, Alpine Shire citizen of the year in 2002, chairman of the Myrtleford Cemetery Trust since 2008, founding member of the Alpine Shire Heritage Network in 2010, Myrtleford and district achiever of the year and recipient of the Alpine Shire lifetime achievement award in 2012, leader of the Myrtleford–Whorouly Uniting Church and life member of the Myrtleford and District Historical Society and the Myrtleford Agricultural Society.
In 2018 John was also awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his service to the Myrtleford community and in 2022 John celebrated his twentieth year as president of the Myrtleford and District Historical Society.
"My interest in history had its roots in some passionate teachers in primary and secondary school and listening to the observations of senior members of my immediate family at home," John said.
"It seemed natural that history teaching, and eventual involvement in conserving and recording artefacts and information would follow."
One of the personal achievements John is most proud of is the Historical Society's Old School Museum where he has had the opportunity to publish recollections of local senior citizens, lead a dedicated band of volunteers and promote the valuable community role they play.
The accompanying photo with this story shows John in the classroom at the museum which was added to the original school building in 1878, while the original building dates from 1870 and the blackboard comes from the Merriang Estate state school.
The series of recollections – which currently stands at five books – is also a valued record of Myrtleford's diverse multicultural community and the extraordinary contribution made to its development by emigrants from other countries, particularly Italy.
"Historical research is the key to knowing more about people, events and significant local developments.
"It helps construct the story of the community over time, from the pre–contact era and the first peoples in the Ovens Valley right through to today.
"One of my favourite pieces of history is the year 1854 – the year in which the first traders appeared on the Buckland Road through what would become a town, the year of the first registered birth of a child and the year of John Henry Riley's discovery of a gold reef on what would become the Reform Mine site for over 30 years.
"This mine, and 99 others in the district, would be the source of the town's beginnings.
"These historical records, whatever form they take, are there to inform."
For family historians or writers putting together a story, the records kept at the historical society often 'fill in the gaps' and are an important record of how people once lived or worked.
"They can inspire researchers to results which could not be attained otherwise," John said.
Alongside his achievements with the historical society, John is proud of convening the redevelopment of walking tracks, trackside signage and revegetation of Reform Hill overlooking the town, which began in 2002.
Reform Hill is now a major attraction and reflects greatly upon the local volunteers, staff at Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) which was formerly known as Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and school students.
"When the State School Pine Plantation was harvested in 2010, the Friends of Reform Hill sought the assistance of local schools to revegetate the area with a variety of 50 local trees and shrubs," John said.
"Regular planting of some 6000 specimens, in conjunction with DEECA, local secondary schools and Landcare now sees a changing landscape and new walking tracks above the town.
"In the autumn of 2023, the community will be invited to view more historical track signage, funded by the Friends of Reform Hill, on the new track above the town."
While John is far from finished with his work in the local community and with the various community groups, he said that the pandemic impacted many volunteer organisations, including historical societies, affecting planning of events, rostering duties and day–to–day maintenance, as well as the ability to share the stories and records with interested locals and visitors.
"To address this issue, since September 2020 our historical society has tried to retain contact with community by publishing an historical feature in the Myrtleford Times and Alpine Observer each fortnight," John said.
"The moment has arrived, in these challenging times, for readers to acknowledge the efforts of heritage organisations and join us in telling their local story."
If you would like to join the Myrtleford and District Historical Society and help keep the area's history alive and accessible, please contact myrtlefordhistorical@gmail.com.
