Janine returns to family roots

In doing so, Mrs Gallacher (nee Flower) became the fifth-generation family member to call the twin towns home.

“Moving back to Echuca-Moama, feels like I have finally returned home,” the celebrant said.

The Flower family originally moved to Moama in 1867 via the Goldfields town of Castlemaine.

They worked in the timber and commerce industries; and acquired the River Captain’s Cottage in about 1890.

Last year Mrs Gallacher was able to show her two grandsons, Chase and Nash, the home in which her great-grandparents lived with seven of their sons.

“On our recent holiday, I showed two of my grandsons my family’s former home, they couldn’t believe how many people lived in this tiny four-room cottage,” she said.

Mrs Gallacher’s father Mick, who was born and raised in Moama, served as a conscript in World War II, where he fought in Papua New Guinea alongside the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels who helped with the safe evacuation of injured soldiers on the famous Kokoda Track.

Mrs Gallacher spoke of her dearly beloved father who died in December 2005, and the life she can now enjoy living in Echuca-Moama.

“I could hear the riverboats in the distance, and I thought of my dad, and I whispered ‘Dad, I’ve come home’,” she said.

“And he would have been proud to know that I’ve returned home, because this too was his happy place.”

The Flower family’s impact stretches far and wide, with Mrs Gallacher’s cousin, the late, great Melbourne Football Club champion Robert, who played 272 games for the Demons between 1973 and 1987.

In addition to her work as a celebrant, Mrs Gallacher is set to embark on volunteer work with Echuca Regional Health.