The Echuca Moama Family History Group is hosting a special presentation on Saturday, June 21, featuring Nicole Jenkins of Deniliquin, who will share her research on Augustus Pierce (1840-1919), a remarkable riverboat captain with deep connections to the region.
The event will take place at 1.30 pm in the Christ Church Anglican Annexe, 500 Hare St, Echuca, accessible via the Hare St gate.
Mrs Jenkins, a food technology teacher turned history enthusiast, has produced over 180 episodes of her podcast Family History Mysteries, including about 15 episodes focusing on Echuca-Moama personalities.
“Augustus Pierce was a riverboat captain based in Echuca,” Mrs Jenkins said.
“The interesting thing about him was that in his downtime, when the river was too low to ply his trade, he had his own show.”
“He was a ventriloquist, he was a comedian and he would do skits and he would paint panoramas.
“He was quite an excellent natural artist.”
Captain Pierce's artistic talents extended beyond entertainment.
“He painted whole walls of pubs, including the Echuca pubs, the Steam Packet Inn, the Bridge Hotel, but also around Australia, there was one up near Bathurst,” Mrs Jenkins said.
“Rumour was that he actually paid his debts off at pubs by painting the mural inside.”
Mrs Jenkins' research has uncovered other fascinating local stories, including that of May Robson, born in Moama in 1858, who received an Academy Award nomination in 1933 for her leading role in Lady for a Day.
“I think it is because of my interest in my family history and my husband's that encouraged me to look back in time and look at those wider historical things that were going on,” she said.
“Rather than watch a Netflix series, I sit down and find out about things and people, that is my entertainment.”
The Family History Mysteries podcast is available on various platforms, including Spotify and Apple iTunes.