Mrs Senti was awarded life membership to the Leeton Family and Local Historical Society last week after giving many years and thousands of hours to the group.

"I couldn't really believe it ... it came out of left field so I was very surprised, but certainly honoured," she said.

It was in 1988 that Mrs Senti first joined the society where she has held a position ever since.

Her mother had dabbled in family history research, which is where Mrs Senti gained the inspiration to be part of the Leeton group.

The society holds an important role in Leeton shire, not only actively collecting, researching and documenting its history, but also that of its residents and families.

Mrs Senti said there were several areas of work she was proud of when it came to her time with the group, including Leeton's centenary celebrations in 2012.

MORE NEWS

"The book we put out - Leeton 100 years: Thanks for the Memories, was a lot of hard work, but it was so worth it," she said.

"That was a huge achievement for our group.

"Other things include getting to work with and, learn from, (the late) Dot Eurell.

"She taught me so much and it was a real honour getting to work and research with her and become friends."

Mrs Senti continues to play a pivotal role with the society.

She said another rewarding aspect was coming up trumps with bits of information for families when they start looking into their own history.

"I love doing the research and delving into places like Trove and the National Archives (of Australia)," Mrs Senti said.

"I think we need to be documenting our history and making sure it's all recorded.

"Even today we are still finding more. I guess in one way we are almost lucky that Leeton shire is only a bit over 100 years old."

In the lead up to the recent Australian Art Deco Festival Leeton, Mrs Senti played a crucial role in researching those buildings that have those features and finding out more about their past.

****

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox every Friday at 6am from The Irrigator. To make sure you're up to date with all news in Leeton sign up here.