Calls to establish Bendigo Museum

BENDIGO Historical Society held an open meeting at the La Trobe Art Institute last week with the aim of exploring support for a proposed development of a community museum for the town.

BHS president Euan McGillivray hosted the meeting that included a presentation on Bendigo’s history, the potential benefits of a museum, and a Q&A session.

The historical society has been collecting artefacts for over 50 years and Mr McGillivray said Bendigo deserved its own museum.

“Regional collections hold unique objects and images,” he said. “There are many aspects of Australian history not well represented in state and national collections.

“Collections about mining, transport, agriculture and so on are best understood in their regional and local context, connected with the place where the work was done or object used.”

Mr McGillivray said there would be several positives to the development of a local museum.

“I believe there is a social benefit,” he said. “Local volunteers come on board with valuable skills, to help create digital catalogued records and research.

“Local museums are able to provide a sense of community by celebrating our heritage and offering a great place to get to know and enjoy local history.

“Museums are important educational environments and offer considerable learning outputs across all age groups. I think museums epitomise life-long learning.”

Mr McGillivray also said other local museums have a proven economic benefit around the country and the world.

“Museums have always been tourist destinations from way back into the 1850s,” he said.

“They have gone from repositories of objects to multi-faceted destinations which is good for visitors both on-site and online.”

With the idea still in its early development stages, it is something Mr McGillivray is hoping to see gain more traction and is keen to discuss further in the future.

“We don’t have any designs for the new space yet, but we are currently working on those and hope to share them at other talks and history house drop-ins soon,” he said.