General News
8 May, 2025
Historic family items set to go on display
MORTLAKE’S Noel McConnell will this weekend proudly display his great grandmother’s wedding dress – 160 years to the day since she wore it.
Mr McConnell will be opening his doors to showcase a wide range of family memorabilia ,including the dress worn by his great grandmother during her 1897 wedding.
The dress features shades of blue and grey, and was made of pure silk featuring hand-made lace, with the bodice boned with genuine whalebone.
“The last time it was worn was by my cousin 60 years ago for a bridal parade, raising funds for the Terang Kindergarten and Blind Auxiliary,” he said.
“I’ve only recently come in to the possession of some of these items – the dress was always with mum and dad (Jean and Ian) until he passed about 18 months ago.
“I see myself as the custodian rather than the owner of the range of things they had collected over the years.”
The dress was worn at the 1987 wedding of William Charles Noel and Jane Cameron McFarlane.
“They were married in the iron church on the side of Tower Hill, and its claim to fame was it was one of the clues as to where the Mahogany Ship laid,” Mr McConnell said.
“They got married and brought property at Glenormiston, at the original subdivision of Niel Black’s farm, and purchased more land at subsequent sales.
“They were dairymen, one of the first in the area along with the Cliffords and Grinters to introduce electric milking machines.
“They lived there about 70 years ago but the family died out because the boys didn’t marry, and the girls had girl children, so the name only lasted two generations.”
Mr McConnell said the dress, in addition to a wide range of memorabilia in his possession which had been passed down through generations, had connected him to his forebears.
“My grandfather, Sam, had married my grandmother who was 30 years younger than him, but he died back in 1938,” Mr McConnell said.
“He was also a farmer in this area, and they had four boys and four girls in the family.
“Uncle Lou, my grandfather’s brother, owned and trained Barrier, who won the 1965 Grand Annual Steeplechase.
“Unfortunately, he died about three months afterwards.
“He’d also won the Dunkeld Cup and the Terang Cup, and was also involved in the creation of the golf club in Terang he was in to shooting and he also raced greyhounds.”
The dress, and other memorabilia, will be on display at 99 Dunlop Street from this Saturday, May 10, to mark the official 160-year milestone.
“I’ve got a myriad of stuff, such as old toys and family history stuff which mum had collected,” Mr McConnell said.
“I’ve also taken photographs of it all and wrote a history which I’ve distributed to my siblings.
“I’ll open the door throughout the week, but I’d encourage anyone to come along and have a look to see what’s here.”
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