The History of the Shire of Romsey
Australian History Rural Studies Local History Reference Cultural History Non-Fiction Australiana Genealogy & Family History
The History of the Shire of Romsey is a scarce 1992 hardcover that distils 150 years of rural Victorian life into one illustrated, locally-published reference. Written by historian John Reid and produced by the Shire’s own History Book Committee, this 242-page volume charts the district’s transition from Djadjawurrung country through gold-rush settlement, two world wars and the rise of modern agriculture. Vintage photographs, township maps and pioneering family trees appear on almost every spread, making the book equal parts archive and armchair time-machine for anyone researching ancestors, property titles or simply the stories behind Romsey’s stone churches, woolsheds and avenue of honour.
Collectors prize first-printing copies like this one for its sturdy cloth binding, protected dust jacket and the handwritten margin notes left by a previous local reader—light pencil dashes that flag the most colourful anecdotes without obscuring text. Because the print-run was small and most copies never left district shelves, clean first editions surface rarely on the secondary market, especially in the tight, square condition offered here. The inscription inside the front board is a neat gift note rather than an author signature, adding personal charm while leaving the title page unmarked for future provenance.
Whether your interest lies in Australian local history, family genealogy, or the social fabric of country towns, Reid’s meticulous chronicle delivers: selectors’ diaries, bushranger raids, show-day programmes and roll-calls of every CWA branch are woven into a narrative that still reads with warmth and pace. For schools, historical societies or descendants of Romsey, this copy provides an authoritative source you can cite with confidence—and a handsome vintage artefact that looks at home on any Australiana shelf.
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