Articles & News
Are you interested in heritage buildings, the conservation process, or the stories of people who lived long ago? Browse through these pages and discover treasures of the past.
Rechner Cottage
Rechner Cottage has stood for over 150 years in a quiet country churchyard in the Barossa valley. You might be surprised, looking at it now, to know that it is listed on the South Australian Heritage register as a site of architectural and cultural significance....
Every building tells a story
Why preserve an old, tumbledown cottage? Why save something that over the years has been quietly deteriorating in a churchyard in a small country village? I asked this question of Berend Hoogendijk, a Dutch artchitect who specializes in heritage buildings. Much of his...
Who was GJ Rechner?
In 1848, at the age of 18, Gustav Julius Rechner said goodbye to his family in Silesia, Germany, and emigrated to South Australia. He lived most of his life in the small village of Light Pass in the Barossa Valley. When he died in 1900, over 1,000 people attended his...
Who do you think you are? Part 2 in the series
This series is looking at some of the traits passed down in the Rechner family. Which ones can you see in yourself, or your family? Today’s character trait is the ability to throw oneself into a task with boundless enthusiasm, energy and drive. This was GJ Rechner -...
What’s so special about Rechner Cottage?
Conservation of a heritage building is a lengthy and expensive process. Looking at the cottage now, you might be surprised (as would it's early inhabitants) to know it is a building of significant heritage value, and one that we believe is important to preserve. But...
What hasn’t changed in 100 years?
Many things have changed in the last 100 years, but some things stay the same. They say there are three things we can always be certain of: death, taxes and - now let me think what was the third? - oh , that's right - fundraising! I had to laugh when I looked back...