A first-time photographic exhibition capturing Golden Horseshoes Festival memories from years gone by was opened by this year’s Indigo Shire Citizen of the Year on Easter Saturday.

The exhibition was held in the Beechworth Historic Precinct’s Sub-Treasury Building.

Longtime resident and this year's Indigo Shire Citizen of the Year, Gwen Gray, said the exhibition activated history the community should be proud of.

“Beechworth has done a very good job over the years with the processions,” she said.

“It's gone from a small event to a very well-organised activity, and I was here the for the first one.

“It's great that our town’s history will continue to be recorded by self-explanatory photographs and will be added to over time."

Mrs Gray said the festival began on Boxing Day in 1960 organised by the Beechworth Lions Club.

“The day of festival was continued until it was changed from New Years to Easter and renamed the Golden Horseshoes Festival in 1966, with this name remaining today - 60 years later," she said.

“This retrospective exhibition of photographs and images of the past parades is a celebration of our parade loving town.

“We're a strong, resilient community that despite economic changes and seasonal challenges of droughts, floods and fires, still manage to put on a wonderful show.

“There is a collection of imagination over the time to create a wide variety of processional floats, and groups with banners combining to parade down Ford Street to entertain the crowd of locals and lots of visitors.

“Although this exhibition is a small representation of the iconic Beechworth parade, it is hoped that this display will encourage others to donate their precious memories in whatever form they may have to build this collection."

The 2026 Indigo Shire Citizen of the Year thanked the organising committee and people who generously shared their past parade memories.

Mrs Gray said among processions over the years has included an ongoing re-enactment of Parliamentarian riding his horse into town with the golden horseshoes (on which the festival is based), elephants on a low loader being driven down the street and Chinese dragons.

“They have also included beautiful ladies wearing vintage fashions and a proud representation of an amazing variety local organisations and groups that make this a wonderful town,” she said.

The 92-year-old has treasured memories of her children when young taking part in the parade on floats.

“I used to do a lot of sewing for my grandchildren when they were young and went on floats as well,” she said.