Can You Help

A friend acquired this mystery photo and I sent it in to our daily paper here in Western Australia to seek help identifying the place and the reason for the celebratory march over the bridge.  The West, as our paper is called, has a weekly page called Can You Help, where readers can ask for all sorts of help.  Very interesting page.

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When it was published, I had a number of phone calls from country people and four callers felt that it was definitely the opening of the bridge at a small town named Williams in the W.A. wheat belt and then I had a call from Julie, who is a member of the Dongara Historical Society telling me that the bridge is the Dongara Bridge over the Irwin River and she has seen the same pic in a local history book.   I did a simple search and she is indeed correct.  The march was in 1887 and was to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.  A very British time back then.

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