Museum to teach the educators

BENDIGO region teachers will next month be given an opportunity to learn about the experiences and stories of local people who have served their country – and share the knowledge with their students.

The Bendigo Military Museum is planning to host a professional development session on Wednesday 4 September for primary and secondary teachers in a move aimed at increasing knowledge and understanding of the city’s role in historic events.

“Most people know the beautiful Soldiers Memorial Institute building on Pall Mall,” museum curator Lena Morrison-van Velsen said.

“But what they don’t realise is that regional Australia’s leading military museum is inside.”

Ms Morrison-van Velsen said the session would give teachers access to stories and artefacts to “inspire their students and enhance understanding of Bendigo’s place in historic events.”

“Bendigonians have participated in every major conflict and peacekeeping mission since even before Federation,” she said.

“The Bendigo Military Museum has artefacts, written, audio and video records of local people participating in national and global events.”

Ms Morrison-van Velsen said those resources can help students form a sense of place in their communities and better understand that “history isn’t just what happens to other people in other places.”

The professional development session is being organised by museum management and is being marketed to schools within a 100-kilometre radius.

The museum, supported by the Bendigo District RSL Sub-Branch, was redeveloped and officially re-opened on 15 November 2018, exactly 97 years after the initial opening of the building in 1921.

It is one of the largest memorial museums in the country and houses a broad range of military memorabilia showcasing the contributions of local people in various conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

It is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays and has a team of volunteer tour guides and presenters.