Members of the Myrtleford and District Historical Society (MDHS) are busy adding the final touches to their 'Women of Myrtleford and District: 1860 to 1960' exhibition which opens this weekend in honour of International Women's Day for 2026.

The exhibit details the lives of 12 women who lived in the Myrtleford region from the gold-rush era right through to the mid-20th century and includes a summary of each subject, artefacts to pair with their photographs and a small movie.

MDHS president, Kerry Murtagh said people are encouraged to visit the exhibition, to help celebrate the women and their contributions to the community.

The exhibition at the Uniting Church Hall on Albert Street, in opened to public this Saturday, from 10am until 4pm, and on Sunday from 11am until 4pm.

Entry of $5 includes admission to the Old School Museum, after viewing the exhibition.

Anna Matassoni said her family are very excited her mother Ottilia is included in this local ladies exhibition.

"Our family are so pleased," she said.

"She was 16 years old when she moved with her brother to Australia from Northern Italy in 1930.

"She married Tullio Matassoni, who came from the same valley in Trentino.

"Together they had four children and were very happy here."

From the Gold Rush era, the exhibition features:

> Eliza Hardy; an Irish lady who settled in Mudgegonga and was later responsible for donating land for the Mudgegonga school, which closed in 2002.

> Amanda Pini; another, very involved, pioneer of Mudgegonga, who came from France with her family as a little girl before marrying Pietro Pini and building a farm nearby.

> Isabella Masterton; an immigrant from Scotland, she started a family and moved to the Dandongadale and Buffalo River areas, where she planted an impressive garden and helped her husband in his farming of hops, cereals and potatoes.

Over the Federation, Great War and Depression eras, the exhibition highlights:

> Elizabeth Rothery; the town's iconic WW1 nurse.

> Annie Cousins; the Myrtleford postmistress for 29 years, who also flipped the switch in 1952 to turn on the town's electricity at the Switch-On Ball at Gapsted Hall.

> Ottilia Matassoni: One of Myrtleford's Italian immigrants from 1930.

Between the WWII and 1940s eras, three ladies are listed:

> Alice Margaret O'Donnell; whose first job was at the London Bank for 10 years, before she became a nurse in 1931 and joined up in WWII.

> Elsie Gaylard; from Tasmania originally, she and her husband became involved in the local flax-mill, which she did quite a comprehensive history of to include in the MDHS 'Recollections Two' book.

> Dorothy Rayner; a good pianist and singer, she worked tirelessly for the church, fire brigade and CWA and was also the mother of Tiff Rayner- Mr Myrtleford, as everyone called him.

From the 1950s and 1960s, the exhibition features:

> Audrey Barnett; of Barnett’s Pharmacy who retired at the age of 76, she was the founder of the Business and Professional Women's Association of Myrtleford and involved in a lot of community services; very extensive in her career.

> Margaret Dean; who worked at the Myrtleford Times until the 1970s and worked hard at the church and with a number of community services.

> Elizabeth Walpole; who was the first woman president of the local Victorian Farmers' Federation branch, helped the local landcare group, was one of the first people to go to Timor Leste in 2009 as part of the Wangaratta 'Friends of Lacluta' outreach program and received the Victorian Senior of the Year award that same year and a Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Myrtleford for her contribution to humanitarian programs.