Proposal for a History Museum
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This is a proposal to establish a History Museum for the Blue Mountains in order to provide an effective means of communication with members of the public interested in our history. The mandate of the Museum should be the history of the Blue Mountains from earliest times to the present day. Through its exhibitions and related public programs, it would be able to provide information to residents and tourist alike. A strong focus should be on its schools programs for primary and high school students, particularly but not entirely drawn from Blue Mountains schools. The Blue Mountains has played an important part in the history of Sydney and of the State yet there is no one museum where people can learn about this or gain an overview of life in the region. People have to draw on published material, not always readily available. There is no systematic comprehensive collection of artifactual material relevant to the region. The small volunteer run museums scattered throughout the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney play a valuable role but their focus is usually on specific topics. The need is for a museum to provide a historical overview that would enable both visitors and residents to place the history of the region in proper perspective. The Museum would contain a gallery devoted to a standing exhibition on regional history, from early Aboriginal times to the present day, and explaining the part played by the Mountains in the growth of Sydney and the inland areas to the west. Residents interested in Mountains history would find this of value. Of the millions of tourists who come to the Mountains each year, a number could be expected to visit the Museum as part of their introduction to the region. A second gallery would house temporary exhibitions on specific topics of interest and also visiting exhibitions from other regions; these would be of particular benefit to local residents. The schools program would be an important function of the Museum requiring its own space. The location of the Museum would be critical. It needs to be in a central position in a town. Springwood, as the largest town in the region, would be a logical place and the Museum would help to balance the art gallery development planned for Katoomba. Placing it as an extension of the Council building and Library would be a logical move. It would not only be where local people congregate and could easily visit, it would also complement the Local History collection within the Library. The Museum could expect to attract visitors from the Penrith area and in fact much of Western Sydney where there is no regional museum of significance. In order for the Museum to be successful, it would need to have a small professional staff and be directly managed and supported by Council. There would be plenty of opportunity for volunteers to participate in all aspects of its work and it would be able to provide technical advice for the small museums and historical societies throughout the region. In cooperation with them, programs of activities, exhibitions and publications could be developed to mutual benefit. While core funding from Council would be essential, there should be little difficulty in obtaining project grants that would supplement the income received from entry charges and museum shop sales. If anybody is interested in learning more about this proposal, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is: barrie.r@bigpond.net.au Barrie
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| Professor Barrie Reynolds is adjunct Professor of Museums & Collections at Macquarie University, and museum and heritage consultant in Australia and south-east Asia. He has lived in the Mountains since 1998. |