State gong for military museum volunteer

VIETNAM veteran Peter Ball is the state’s best museum volunteer, winning the Victorian Museums and Galleries Volunteer of the Year Award for his nearly 30 years of work at the Bendigo Military Museum.

Mr Ball, who was among close to 60 nominees, was named the winner during a ceremony at Science Gallery Melbourne.

Mr Ball’s achievement follows similar success in this year’s Bendigo Business Excellence Awards, where he was named Volunteer of the Year.

Bendigo Military Museum curator Lena Morrison-van Velsen said Mr Ball had given 28 years of dedicated service to the museum.

“Peter always says that it’s the people, community and our collective efforts that makes our work meaningful, and he made sure to tell us to accept this award not just for himself but on behalf of all the volunteers and staff…who have supported him through almost 30 years of service,” Ms Morrison-van Velsen said.

“Many of those dedicated individuals are sadly no longer with us, but their contributions remain vital to everything we have achieved.

“So this award belongs not only to Peter – who is truly deserving – but to everyone involved in our shared mission to preserve and promote regional Victoria’s rich heritage.”

In the award citation, AmaGA Victoria and the PGAV said Mr Ball’s long service had been instrumental in transforming the Bendigo Soldiers Memorial Institute into a state-of-the-art facility.

“His leadership secured $5.1 million in funding, oversaw a meticulous cataloguing project of over 7700 items, and spearheaded the museum’s redevelopment and restoration,” the citation said.

“Peter’s dedication to the museum’s success in making history accessible is something to be admired.”

The Golden Dragon Museum was highly commended for its collection redevelopment project in the Medium Project of the Year (Museum) category.

Now in their 31st year, the awards acknowledge and highlight outstanding achievements across the museum, gallery and community collecting sector.

They are delivered by the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria and the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.

Thirteen awards were presented on the night and 10 organisations were recognised for achieving reaccreditation – the gold standard for collecting institutions as outlined by the National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries.