{"id":369244,"date":"2026-02-16T20:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=369244"},"modified":"2026-02-17T22:52:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:52:07","slug":"history-group-toasts-50-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/02\/16\/history-group-toasts-50-years\/","title":{"rendered":"History Group Toasts 50 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BMNHA members and supporters and South Burnett councillors toast the 50th birthday of the association and officially open the new wheelchair-friendly footpath which links ‘Cedarvale’ into the newly redeveloped parkland space at Dandabah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 16, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bunya Mountains Natural History Association (BMNHA) toasted its 50th birthday on Monday with a special celebration at its ‘Cedarvale’ museum.<\/p>\n

BMNHA president Meg Noack said 50 years was a wonderful milestone for the group.<\/p>\n

She thanked the members and volunteers for everything they had done at ‘Cedarvale’ over the years.<\/p>\n

“It is a tribute to your curiosity, your love of the Bunyas and the sense of community that you have grown,” Mrs Noack said.<\/p>\n

She praised the work that had been done over the years to collect the history and stories which had been been published in so many books.<\/p>\n

Bell resident John Armstrong, who was present at the first meeting of the association 50 years ago, said he wanted to quote his late mother: “Those who fail to respect the past face an uncertain future”.<\/p>\n

“It is the people who have gone before us who have made us today,” he said.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff congratulated Mrs Noack and her committee for the anniversary, and for keeping the ‘Cedarvale’ museum in such great condition.<\/p>\n

She said the SBRC was considering adopting a new slogan, “One Region, Many Stories”, which would be appropriate for places like the Bunya Mountains.<\/p>\n

The historic \u2018Cedarvale\u2019 cottage was built in the 1880s for William A. McClelland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was moved from the Sorley property at Bell to the Bunyas in the late 1970s to serve as the BMNHA’s headquarters and museum.<\/p>\n

The slab cottage \u2013 typical of early settler homes in the area \u2013 was carefully disassembled (and each piece numbered) and then reassembled slab-by-slab in its new location at Dandabah.<\/p>\n

The cypress pine logs that ‘Cedarvale’ had originally been standing on at Bell were replaced by a concrete slab at the new location, but the century old timber was repurposed into tables and stools for use at the museum.<\/p>\n

\u2018Cedarvale\u2019 was joined five years later by another former cottage, \u2018Hillview\u2019 from Yamsion, which extended the museum space.<\/p>\n

It is open every Saturday as well as the last Sunday of every month (to coincide with the Bunya Mountains Markets), as well as Sundays on long weekends and selected public holidays.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Bunya Mountains Natural History Association and the Bunya Mountains Community Association have a special bunya nut celebration planned for next weekend\u00a0(February 21-22).<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Saturday, there will shucking and tasting; and on Sunday, cooked nut tasting, cooking conversations and free children’s activities.<\/p>\n

This has been a spectacular season for bunya nuts throughout the South Burnett, but especially in the Bunya Mountains.<\/p>\n

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