You may have seen recent news reports regarding the fire at Inverell, New South Wales, which destroyed numerous businesses, houses and the local history centre.  The Inverell District Family History Group is asking for help in restarting. They have written:

I don’t know if you were aware, but the Family History Group was destroyed in a massive fire in the early hours of Sunday morning Jan 24th, which claimed other businesses and 13 apartments.

The Group lost everything in the fire including many historical family records of the Pioneers from the area, microfilms and microfilm machines, photocopier, computers, CDs, local history books etc. This has been a devastating blow, not only to the Family History Group that work tirelessly, but also for the residents of the town.

If there is any way that you …  can help the Group “rise from the ashes” in a small way through a small donation, it would be greatly appreciated.

It is a general fact that local regional groups do it tough financially, but we would be lost without them and their dedication to preserving the records and history of the local people and area.  Inverell is no different, with their volunteers who have dedicated their time over the years, to piece together records and photos of the region’s history.  The group apparently never created digital copies of the holdings. A lesson is there for others.

If you would like to send a donation to the Inverell District Family History Group, you can find details (and a donation form) on the group’s website.

Here’s a couple of photos showing the damage: