Ron Maidment Archives Room
Situated in the Iluka Capel Public Library, the Ron Maidment Archives Room is the centre for our Shire’s history. The Collection preserves and celebrates places, people and activities within the Shire. The collection consists of images, booklets and reports, community newsletters, rates books, oral history recordings, family papers, books including inscribed bibles, and museum objects such as textiles, original Shire Hall artefacts, and honour boards.
Opening Hours: Thursdays 10am – 4pm
Donations
Donations of historical and contemporary images, ephemera and documents about the Shire of Capel, families residing within the Shire, residents, events, businesses, and industries are encouraged and warmly received.
We accept donations during the Archives opening hours (Thursdays 10am-4pm). Please email us at localhistory@capel.wa.gov.au, or alternatively, call 9727 0290 on Thursdays between 10am and 4pm to discuss suitability of your items as donations.
To be able to accept your donations and to make them available to public, we will kindly ask you to complete our ‘Accession Form’, which contains full details of the donor and any information about the donated item/s. You can obtain a copy of the form by emailing us at localhistory@capel.wa.gov.au, or collect the form in person from the Capel Public Library.
Research Requests
To ensure we provide you with information you are seeking, we will ask you to complete our ‘Research Request Form’. The form can be obtained by emailing staff at localhistory@capel.wa.gov.au, or collected in person from the Capel Public Library. Once your request is received, if we need more information the Archive staff or volunteers will contact you via phone or email.
Based on your preference, we can either forward you the results via email, or you are welcome to arrange a follow up visit during our opening hours and go through the results with one of our volunteers.
Just a Horse Ride Away: A History of the Shire of Capel and Its People
Are you looking for a book which will give you history of the Shire of Capel and its residents? The first edition of Just a Horse Ride Away was published by the Shire of Capel in 1995 and reprinted in 2006. It is a great reference book and resource about the Shire’s history. Copies of the book are available for purchase from the Iluka Public Library, you can also borrow a copy from all three Shire of Capel libraries or view the book in the Ron Maidment Archives Capel.
Collections WA
Shire of Capel Archives collection is now featured on Collections WA, a free, searchable platform that brings together collections from organisations across Western Australia such as libraries, galleries, museums, archives and historical societies.
The platform allows us to have our own profile page which is visible to the public and enables us to publish our archive records online and for free. Collections WA increases our visibility and contributes to the collective memory and history of our state.
Our staff and volunteers have been continuously adding new items to the collection. For those who would like to have a closer look please follow this link https://collectionswa.net.au/organisations/shire-capel.
Capel District Cemeteries (CDC) Project Inc
The work on the project began in 2017 with the Capel Cemetery Survey. Over the past four years a group of volunteers has worked at the Capel Cemetery and the Ron Maidment Archives room to compile a comprehensive register of approximately 700 persons at rest at the Capel Cemetery.
The Register is available to view on the Capel District Cemeteries Project website https://capeldistrictcemeteriesproject.com.au. You are also welcome to talk to our friendly staff at Capel Library who will be happy to assist you in downloading and printing the Register.
The research team meets every second Wednesday, at the Ron Maidment Archive Room, inside the Capel Public Library. Please feel free to drop in and talk to the CDC team members on the day.
Links
Local
Busselton Family History Society
Australind Family History Society
The Busselton Museum
WA Links
J.S Battye Library of Western Australia
The Police Gazette of Western Australia
State Records Office
Landgate
Inherit
The West Australian Post Office Directories
West Australian Genealogical Society
Australian Links
Trove
Ancestry.com
Australian War Memorial
National Archives of Australia