“By conserving our heritage, we not only protect physical places, we safeguard our history, our achievements, our knowledge of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come, and our sense of self," Mayor Thomas said.

“Alone we can only do so much so I congratulate the Pickering Brook Heritage Group for bringing like-minded people together to keep alive the history of this iconic piece of the Perth Hills.”

To commemorate 25 years of preserving local history, the Group is hosting the Back to Pickering Brook Festival on Sunday, 10 November where it will also launch its first book The History of Pickering Brook and Surrounding Areas.

The free event, supported by City, runs from 10:30am to 7:00pm with plenty of interesting displays, fun activities and entertainment planned across the day including the Italian Ladies Choir, bush poets, log chop and the local bush band. Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre will bring along animals native to the area, and there will be food, stalls and craft activities too.

Pickering Brook Heritage Group President and local resident Beverley Giumelli said the open day is an opportunity to share the inspiring stories of the area’s pioneers.

“We cannot afford to lose the stories of our history, of those who arrived as early settlers and migrants, and who were instrumental in settling and building a community which continues to thrive today,” Ms Giumelli said.

For more details visit pickeringbrookheritagegroup.com