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.<\/p>\n
BHS president Euan McGillivray hosted the meeting that included a presentation on Bendigo\u2019s history, the potential benefits of a museum, and a Q&A session.<\/p>\n
The historical society has been collecting artefacts for over 50 years and Mr McGillivray said Bendigo deserved its own museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional collections hold unique objects and images,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are many aspects of Australian history not well represented in state and national collections.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollections 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McGillivray said there would be several positives to the development of a local museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe there is a social benefit,\u201d he said. \u201cLocal volunteers come on board with valuable skills, to help create digital catalogued records and research.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseums are important educational environments and offer considerable learning outputs across all age groups. I think museums epitomise life-long learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McGillivray also said other local museums have a proven economic benefit around the country and the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseums have always been tourist destinations from way back into the 1850s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have gone from repositories of objects to multi-faceted destinations which is good for visitors both on-site and online.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019s history, the potential benefits of a museum, and a Q&A […]<\/p>\n