But he is definitely the most accidental president in club history, even if his successful nomination at the recent EHS annual general meeting was genetic destiny.
He first got involved with the society and its museum at 1 Dickson St in Echuca when his grandmother Aileen Goodwin joined in the late 1990s.
“I was still at school, and my grandmother (Aileen Goodwin) had retired to Echuca, and looking for something to do with her spare time came across a story saying the historical society was looking for volunteers, so she signed up for Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays,” Mr Wilson said.
“In the end she stayed for 15 years, and for many of those she would often take me with her because she knew I loved history.
“And while I love history, I find the Echuca-Moama story fascinating, and still do.”
It was a blossoming passion that more than equipped the young Matt for the extra ‘help’ Grandma organised for him during her shifts.
Such as getting on the roof to clean gutters, helping tidy the mess that was the museum backyard at that time and anything else involving a broom.
“I can still remember the naphthalene flakes I had to shove down holes in the roof to try and stop the possums getting in and urinating down the museum walls,” Mr Wilson said.
“And the only occupational health and safety we had was one of the older volunteer men holding the ladder steady when I climbed on to, and off, the roof — if I did fall I was warned not to land on the OH&S officer at the bottom of the ladder.”
As the EHS odd-job junior, Mr Wilson kept going backwards and forwards to the museum until he moved away after finishing school.
He ended up in a career with the Department of Defence before giving that away to start what he sees as a much more rewarding and satisfying role: helping integrate children with learning difficulties and special needs into mainstream classes.
Today Mr Wilson is already planning a dynasty at the helm of Echuca Historical Society — he took 15-year-old daughter Cora to an EHS sausage sizzle at Bunnings after she asked if she could come and lend a hand.
The St Joseph’s College student clicked with the history set and Mr Wilson says it grew from there.
She is now a member but still a little too busy with school to take on a committee role or similar.
That said, her seven-year-old sister will probably be looking to join in the not-to-distant future.
“We didn’t fill the secretary’s role at the AGM, so my next mission is to try and convince my wife, Jody, to put her hand up for that job — but that’s very much a work in progress and I’m not holding my breath,” Mr Wilson said.
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