MERV Smitham is doing his bit to preserve some of SA's history.
The retired Blyth farmer has gathered a collection of materials that showcase the state's early years, and is working to share that with others.
Some of these items were passed down to him.
His father George 'Cleve' Smitham, had worked as a tractor mechanic in the 1920s for Clutterbuck Bros until the Depression set in, after which he returned to farming.
Merv said he was never really aware of some of his father's history until after he had died.
"Dad never really said much about what he'd done," he said.
"When he passed away I picked up the logbooks from his room and realised what he'd done - it was more than I ever thought."
These logbooks show Cleve covered a vast area of the state, travelled as far as WA to retrieve tractors and repair them.
"It was pretty unusual to be sent to Perth in the 1920s," Merv said.
"Some people don't believe he went over to WA, but it's there in his logbooks."
He said his father would travel to a number of places by train, then go out to bush camps and the like. He carried his box of tools with him wherever he went.
One of the stories his father told him was about ordering parts.
"They were on party (phone) lines so they only had three minutes to order the parts they needed," he said. "(The parts) always turned up on time."
Cleve also collected a number of photographs through his travels, showing life on the camps during this period.
Merv also had an interest in history and thought it was important to share this with others. He passed that love of history to his daughter Sharon Ann Hoepner. When she passed away he wanted to do something in her memory, and the memory of his father.
He sponsored the building of a shed to house his exhibits, and donated some old machinery to the site, along with Cleve's logbooks and photographs.
"I really think it's part of the history of the state," Merv said.
The Merv Smitham shed, which showcases his historical collection and that of other local people, is on one of the two sites of the Balaklava Museum - at Urlwin Park in Short Terrace.
The museum's other site at Centenary Hall, on May Terrace, previously served as the Church of Christ, a hall for the Druids, a Masonic Lodge and the first high school in town.
Since 1977, it has built up the collection of local historical records and photographs including memorabilia from the local RSL.
The museum also hosts a tribute to Alf Traeger, famed for the invention of the pedal wireless used by Reverend John Flynn.
Mr Traeger was born in Vic but spent much of his childhood, including his schooling, at Balaklava.
Balaklava Museum Inc committee member Richard May said the collection covered much of the life of Mr Traeger but members would "dearly love" to include one of the original pedal radios.
The site at Urlwin Park was originally donated through a bequest from a local poultry farmer and named after him. It predominantly focuses on the museum's agricultural collection.
Committee member Melvyn Zerk said many in the local community had been very generous in donating historical items.
"We've accepted a lot of things which we think are of value, going right back to the early days of settlement," he said.
"We've had a wonderful lot of local support."
The Balaklava region previously had four factories making implements to help with farming. These serve as part of the collection of Made in Balaklava, based at the Urlwin Park site.
The committee also recently obtained a Vickers tractor from the 1920s, restored and running again.
Mr Zerk said it was an important part of their goal to keep the history alive.
"One thing we are striving for is to get things operating and show something in action," he said.
This same attitude is shown in their recreation of an original blacksmith shop with an operational forge and bellows.
The two museums are a popular pilgrimage for school groups, and are open by appointment.