Museum members celebrate $2.85m funding to start long-awaited project

Museum members celebrate $2.85m funding to start long-awaited project SUPPORTERS of the Queenscliffe Historical Museum rejoiced last week – one almost in tears – following news that after 14 years of waiting, plans to redevelop their building would become a reality.

Members gathered at a moment’s notice on Friday to hear Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville announce that her government would withdraw the remaining $2.4 million from the Borough of Queenscliffe’s Destination Queenscliff project, and inject it into the Queenscliff Community Hub.

The project in Hesse Street will redevelop the museum, and include the adjacent library and Visitor Information Centre to become a new integrated hub.

Ms Neville said on top of this commitment, the government would also provide $450,000 from the Living Libraries fund, making $2.85 million available now to start work on the project.

Ms Neville also said to ensure the project met the needs of the local community and historical society, the state government would chair a community reference group and take the lead on ensuring appropriate community consultation was undertaken.

Museum president Garry Spry said on Friday that he was ecstatic because after 14 years of waiting, it now appeared certain that the Queenscliff Community Hub would finally come to fruition.

“To give credit where it is due, there are a couple of museum stalwarts who deserve mentioning,” Mr Spry said.

“Rebecca Stott was the author of a book titled Darwin’s Ghosts, in which she criticised Darwin for taking all the accolades for his revolutionary theory of evolution.

“So may I take the opportunity here to mention Jocelyn Grant and Alistair Hope as well as the late Dick de Fegely, because it was they who started this movement 14 years ago, so all credit to them and others who have worked on this project over the intervening years.

“This hub isn’t just for the museum; it’s for the Borough and the community and for what we hope it will do in revamping this precinct so that it will attract far greater patronage than that it does at present.

“From our perspective, it’s about celebrating history in line with the museum’s philosophy of ‘Informing the future through a conversation with the past’.

“The economic benefits that are expected from this initiative, will have a flow-on effect that will be felt far and wide.”

Ms Neville said the hub had broad community support and would be a go-to spot for residents and visitors.

“It’s not about ‘either/or’, there were some really big issues and divisions about Destination Queenscliff,” Ms Neville said.

“We know this is a project that has been long awaited and will give great benefit for the residents and community of Queenscliff, plus I think it will have some flow-on effects for Hesse Street as well.

“I am hopeful the government will make further commitments, but here is some funding so we can get started now.”