Chairman Geoff Larsen says the centre provides an excellent opportunity to see Cootamundra “as it was” and praised the efforts of the volunteer team who keep it going.

“Betti (Punnett) our secretary and Pat (Caskie), they’re the lifeblood of the place,” says Mr Larsen, “they’re tremendous, they’ve got a great knowledge of the town and the surrounds, they’ve been here most their lives and they’re so enthusiastic about it all.”

“I love Cootamundra and I love local history,” says Pat Caskie, who is also a member of the Cootamundra Local History Society.

Mrs Caskie says the centre’s greatest asset is Jack Mullins’ collection of tobacco tins, which form a homemade diorama of Cootamundra’s history from the perspective of a true local.

“The heritage centre helps us understand our past,” says Mrs Caskie, “and it’s a particularly good learning experience for children.”

She was delighted to witness the centre’s 13th birthday present, a wonderfully preserved wooden sewing cabinet donated by Helen Hamilton.

The cabinet originally belonged to Mrs Hamilton’s husband’s aunt Edythe Hamilton and was a 21st birthday gift from her sisters in 1931.

Mr Larsen also thanked the Cootamundra Shire Council for the financial support necessary to keep the centre running, and Cr Craig Stewart for his practical assistance in maintaining and displaying the exhibits.

The centre is located inside the old Cootamundra railway barracks on Hovell Street and began life with a Centenary of Federation grant in 2001.

All the content is vetted as authentic Cootamundra history and much of it is donated by locals, with the items on display regularly rotated to ensure a unique experience with every visit.

There are rooms dedicated to every facet of the town’s rich past including our Indigenous history, railway, business, wartime and aviation.

The Aviation and RAAF room has been upgraded in time for the 13th birthday celebrations and includes the uniform of WWII pilot John Damian Kearney Schmidt, who was trained at the Cootamundra Air Observer’s School (AOS) and flew 39 missions over Germany.

Other display items include Ken ‘Casey’ Jones’s WWII flight helmet, a 16mm camera that was mounted to the wing of a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain, a scale model of the AOS and a banner detailing the life of aviation pioneer Arthur Butler, who built Australia’s first all metal framed aircraft in Cootamundra in 1930.