VOLUNTEERING her time at the Bega Pioneers Museum is not a chore for Sandra Florance - it has become a way of life.

Officially, she works there three days a week, but when exhibitions are on it can be more; and she is often busy at home, creating and adding to data banks. These help make connections for people seeking information on ancestors, which is often a very emotional process.

Helping people to research their family histories and facilitating those connections is a source of great satisfaction to Sandra, and is the facet of her work at the museum that she finds most rewarding.

Yet history was not a favourite subject at school, and she confesses that, to this day, she can't remember dates.

"I failed history," Sandra said.

"I think it was because we were taught either European or American, not local or Australian, and not significant to me."

Her journey to enjoying local and family history came about through genealogy.

Born in Bega into the extensive Cochrane clan, Sandra knew that relatives had already researched the Cochrane family history, but on marrying Peter Florance, her interest in her new and unusual surname was aroused, but little real information on its origins was available.

"It wasn't until we went driving through Kent and found a little village with a mansion on a hill called Florance Hill that we began making connections," Sandra said.

Relatives were discovered, Sandra embarked on 10 years of research, wrote a book and organised a reunion at Bairnsdale, which became a very emotional event when different lines of the family were connected.

Fourteen years ago, Sandra returned to the Bega Valley with Peter, who had retired from a career in the Army.

She had left in 1962, while in fourth year at School, when her father decided to move the family to Canberra.

"I had no idea I would return to Bega," Sandra said.

"As an army wife I had grown used to being dragged around Australia and the world.

"Our children would complain about having to leave their schools and friends, but they coped with it too.

"When Peter and I came to Bega we didn't know where to start to become part of the community - we didn't have the school or army connections here."

Sandra began by joining the Red Cross, and was busy making sandwiches at the saleyards when she met Jack Burgess, who invited her to come along to the next meeting of the Historical Society.

In the meantime, she had found work at the Radiology Department at the Hospital, but began coming along to meetings.

Sandra describes herself as "Not a leader, but a good support person."

In that capacity she was soon busy helping out where she could, and that involved helping the museum move into the world of technology with computers, and the cataloguing of the extensive collection.

She currently holds the position of secretary, and research has become her passion.

The emotion that is experienced by those seeking and finding connections is often experienced as part of the daily work at the museum.

"Penny Davies, president of the Historical Society, is the best thing that has happened to us for a long time," Sandra said.

"She's very organised, makes contacts, and follows them up.

"I love reading old newspapers on microfilm, going into dates or events, and while I'm doing that I'll be writing down lots of things that I discover on the side."

Sandra's research might be to assist other organisations or people that are researching subjects such as surf life saving clubs, sport, circuses or local participation in wars; or research conducted by the Museum, possibly with exhibitions as the outcome, such as those on Gallipoli and VP days.

A forthcoming exhibition will feature the working lives of the Thatchers, builders, and the Staffords, brickmakers, who have both left a profound legacy to the Bega Valley.

Recent activities have included research on William 'Evan' Allan, Australia's last World War 1 veteran to see active service, who was born in Bega and died recently aged 106, and hosting a visit from the McGuinness Family, who have ties back to the early settlement of the Bega District.

The Pioneers' Museum had received a request from the family of John McGuinness, who had died in 2004 , to scatter his ashes at the Old Bega Racecourse, a place he was very fond of.

The request was passed on to the Museum by council, and, after many e-mails, an afternoon tea was held at the Museum with the relatives and locals who had known the families.

After scattering the ashes, the family was taken to the old McGuiness property at Numbugga.

"It was very emotional for them," Sandra said.

"This is a very emotional place to work - there are often tears when people discover family or connections they hadn't known about."

Sandra recalls when a man from Germany walked through the Museum doors with his wife, and she took one look at him and thought "Ubrihien."

When he spoke he did so with an American accent which added to the puzzle, but he was indeed connected with the Ubrihien family.

"I took them down and showed them photographs of the original family from Germany," Sandra said.

"Both he and his wife burst into tears.

"His grandmother had been born here, had gone to Victoria, where her husband had been offered work in the United States.

"The physical gene had gone from his grandmother and two more generations to get to him."

Helping people make those connections is a wonderful feeling for Sandra.

"The names and families are all a big network in my head." she said.

However, she is developing a large data base at home, and has a very big card index with all the information obtained from libraries on it that she refers to often.

"We've branched out into property names, businesses and industries; the names often change, and when people come in asking what the history of a property is, we can go back to censuses, electoral rolls and ratepayers' rolls."

Sandra has seen the museum change to take a proactive role in developing people's awareness about the history of local families and the region.

"The schools are realising that the museums are a great resource," she said. "The Bega Valley art class comes down to look at the different shapes, go outside with the machinery - they can get all sorts of wonderful images."

The schoolchildren go home enthused about what they have seen, and Sandra recalls one boy who had visited the museum earlier in the day, but when his mother and grandmother picked him up from school he wouldn't let them go home until they had visited the museum too.

"They were flabbergasted," Sandra recalls.

"They said they had no idea how much was in here.

"That's something that we hear so many times.

"Once people have had a look they bring other visitors back with them."

The museum also works with St John's Anglican Church, situated nearby.

"For the Gallipoli Exhibition we incorporated a church service; the Bishop happened to be here, the Light Horse Brigade in all their finery took part and we then had a shindig back at the museum."

"It's all part of the 'Living History' policy of the Bega Pioneers' Museum, one that lifts history out of the dim past and makes it relevant to all those who live in Bega today; as well as those far beyond, looking for the connections that they have with the Bega Valley.

"The museum's direction and policy make it a much more accessible place," Sandra said.

"Our only regret is that we don't have the personnel to work at weekends."

More volunteers are always welcome to join the happy team at the Bega Pioneers' Museum.

"The work is not arduous, and it's fascinating," Sandra said.

"Friends can come along together, and there are tea and coffee making facilities."

In recognition of the wonderful job the volunteers do each week in staffing the museum and providing cheerful and knowledgeable information to the many visitors who come through the doors each year, the Bega Pioneers' Museum was awarded the 2005 Bega Outstanding Business Award for Hospitality and Tourism.

"Local history is a continuing story and I love being associated with the people that are living it, preserving it and making it.

"Visitors experience a building and a collection that makes my colleagues and me very proud of our district and the achievements of our predecessors."