Port Macquarie Museum 22 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Phone: (02) 6583 1108

Web: www.pmhm.org.au

Email: portmuseum@gmail.com

PORT MACQUARIE HISTORICAL SOCIETY Inc.

Patron: Mr Keith Uptin OAM

It’s hard to believe that it’s December already—or at least that this is the December Newsletter, the last for 2019. How this year seems to have flown!

I had been looking forward to our bus trip to Wing-ham and Harrington. Unfortunately, the bushfires intervened and it would have been an uncomfortable trip, even though the roads had re-opened. We will re-schedule some time next year.

Members who have visited the Museum recently will have noticed new carpet in the foyer. The old carpet was beginning to fray at the front door, and we did not want it to develop into a potential trip hazard. It was easier to replace the whole than try to replace a section. As a result the foyer looks much brighter.

Work has been scheduled to commence on Monday 9 December to strip the layers of paint from the chimney in the old kitchen. This is necessary to ad-dress the rising damp problem that is affecting the mortar. The paint layers include lead-based paint, so the old kitchen will need to be closed until all the paint has been removed. This will take some time—we don’t know how long yet, so we and our visitors will probably have to put up with the inconvenience of take the long way around for a while. Please be prepared.

You might be aware that for the last two years the Museum has been a Memorial Box Agent for the Australian War Memorial. We have had two Memorial Boxes which we have been lending out to schools up and down the coast (down as far as the Central Coast, and up as far as Coffs Harbour), and across the rang-es (as far as Bundarra). Both of these boxes relate to Australia in the First World War. The boxes contain a mixture of original artefacts (medals, parts of uni-forms and clothing, postcards) and reproductions (photographs, paintings, two-up kit, etc.), and allow students some hands-on experience to go with their learning. We have now received two more boxes, one relating to Australia during the Second World War, and the other relating to Australia in Wartime and Peacekeeping Operations since 1946. There are only

three agents in New South Wales (at Albury, Broken Hill and Goonellabah) other than us and the War Me-morial, so having these boxes gives us a real oppor-tunity for outreach—and at least one school that bor-rowed a box has also organised a tour of our Muse-um.

All the best for Christmas and the New Year (if I don’t see you at the Christmas Lunch).

Clive

President’s Report Vol 7 Issue 11 December 2019 ISSN 2208-0295

Members Christmas Lunch

Reminder

Tuesday 3 December 2019 12 Noon for 12.30pm

Port Macquarie Golf Club

Menu Ham, Turkey, Roast Vegetables and Seasonal Greens

Christmas Pudding

Page 2 Newsletter Vol 7 Issue 11 December 2019

Community Heritage Grants Program This year, we have been awarded a Community Heritage grant for a professional significance assessment of our costume collection. Along with the grant, is the offer to attend 3 days of workshops based at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. This is a great opportunity to learn from professionals, and I am pleased to have been able to represent the Museum at the Award ceremony, and the Preservation and Collection Management workshops. The evening Award Ceremony took place in the foyer of the National Library with presentations made by Dr Marie-Louise Ayres, the Director-General of the NLA, following on to networking and bubbles! Many a photograph later, we decided we all needed to learn how to consistently photograph well like Marie-Louise!

The workshops covered a range of topics including the detailed process of the grant funding from application to acquittal, disaster preparedness, managing risks to collections, care and management of video/audio/film/small archives/textiles, digitisation of collections, and an in-depth look at the workings of TROVE. Debbie Sommers spoke, as a past CHG award recipient, providing an insight into how the grant process has applied to work here at the museum and what has been achieved because of it. The other workshop participants from volunteer-run organisations, commented frequently over the next few days, how fortunate we are to have a knowledgeable and experienced person within the team, and how many volunteers there are here.

I chose to attend workshops at the National Library of Australia, and the National Museum of Australia. These included: - TROVE: Sharing Collections with Australia and the World - Preservation: Tour of the Lab at the NLA and discussion on conservation of paper-based materials - Sound Preservation: Tour of the Lab at the NLA and discussion of aspects of sound preservation and the need to convert to digital files - Introduction to managing risks to collections - Preventive conservation in action – objects and textiles

We were also able to visit a repository of the National Museum and go on a behind the scenes tour of the National Library. The National Museum uses huge warehouses for storage, within which are various climate-controlled “demountables” amongst tall shelving reached by forklifts. The labyrinth of the National Library showed collection management from all eras (drawers of small collection cards, to a robot moving items) and volumes of books whose titles appeared to have nothing to do with Australia!

I found all the sessions interesting, providing knowledge to assist my volunteer work at the museum. It was beneficial being able to ask questions as they arose (instead of having to Google), and taking note of reference books or recommended websites was also helpful. I enjoyed seeing Conservators in action, and learning that there is so much more to be discovered on TROVE. The 3 days of workshops were a valuable learning and networking experience.

Rachel Green

PS. This is our Museum’s sixth grant under the CHG program since 2008. We were one of 61 organisations from around Australia to be awarded a grant under the program this year, and one of 19 organisations from NSW. The Community Heritage Grants program, which aims to assist in the identification and preservation of community owned but nationally significant heritage collections, has been invaluable to us. It is the largest grant program of its type in Australia. So far, we have benefited from grants totalling almost $44,000 under the program. The Significance Assessment of our Costume Collection will take place in the first quarter of 2020. The Community Heritage Grants Program is managed by the National Library of Australia. It is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Communications and the Arts; the National Archives of Australia; the National Film and Sound Archive; the National Museum of Australia and the National Library of Australia.

2019 Comminity Heritage Grant Recipients, Rachel Green, front row, fourth from left 2019 Community Heritage Grant Certificate

Page 3 Newsletter Vol 7 Issue 11 December 2019

Displays Update ‘Homecoming’ has now been installed in the back gallery. This small exhibition focuses on the return of those who served in World War 1, and of those who sadly didn’t get to come home. The exhibition has been supported by a grant from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, under their Saluting Their Service – Community Commemorative Grants program. The $1279 grant enabled us to purchase a display case to exhibit war service medals, plaques, badges and other war memorabilia.

We have also begun to install ‘Tourists Paradise’ in the back gallery. It will be a little while longer before the interpretation panels are produced, but some of the exhibition is now in place. QR codes for many of the objects have been provided for those who wish to read and learn more. ‘Tourists Paradise’, the online exhibi-tion is also taking shape. The curated digital exhibition will be viewable at www.touristsparadise.com.au from around 16 December. Arts Mid North Coast is providing in-kind design and project management support for the exhibition. Tourists Paradise is supported by Create NSW’s Volunteer Museum Grant Program,

a devolved funding program administered by Museums & Galleries of NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.

To coincide with Tourists Paradise we will be revamping the kids activity area on the back

deck. Transformation has also started with removal of the old corn crushers to create more

room, and, thanks to Anne Oud, new signage.

Around the Museum

Quite a lot has been happening around the museum over the past month. Some things have been planned, whilst others have taken us quite by surprise. We replaced the carpet in the foyer as it was starting to fray at the entrance causing a potential trip hazard. Our Structural Engineer, Dale Carr, who is working on solutions for the upper storey floor problem in our Heritage Building took the opportunity to explore under the foyer floor whilst the floor boards were exposed. The previous day, the high winds caused the post holding our illuminated sign to fall down (it had been rusting through). Luckily, the sign didn’t hit anyone on the street and caused minimal damage to our building paint-work, which Anne Oud was able to touch up. The biggest surprise has been our animal visitors, some resulting from the recent bushfire and smoke conditions which meant pets couldn’t be left at home, and perhaps others just because they like us!

Structural Engineer Dale Carr explores the foyer under floor

Keeping watch – Brunnhilde Resting up – Siegfried

Artist at work – Anne Oud touches up the paint

damage caused by the fallen signage

On garden watch - a young Kookaburra Our resident Blue Tongue lizard is back

Page 4 Vol 7 Issue 11 December 2019 Newsletter

Our Supporters

Contributors this Month: Rachel Green

Margaret Piltz

Clive Smith

Debbie Sommers

Compiled by: Anne Oud

Our Achievements

Society Diary Dates December

Sunday 1 December 11.00am to 3.00pm First Sunday Free

Tuesday 3 December 12 Noon for 12.30pm Members Christmas Lunch Port Macquarie Golf Club

January Sunday 5 January 11.00am to 3.00pm First Sunday Free

Wednesday 15 January Museum Selfie Day Free entry

Tuesday 21 January Mid Summer Picnic 5.30pm Members Event

February

Sunday 2 February 11.00am to 3.00pm First Sunday Free

Friday 7 February 10.00am General Meeting

Monday 10 February 5.00pm Exhibition Opening ‘Out of the Frame’ NSW Seniors Festival

Monday 10 to Saturday 22 February Open House for Seniors NSW Seniors Festival

Mid Summer Picnic Our annual Mid Summer Picnic will be held in the museum garden on Tuesday 21 January 2020, commencing at 5.30pm. The Social Sub Commit-tee has decided to trial a change of menu this year, with sandwiches and finger food being served at the tables. This will then be followed by your choice of desserts. Wine and soft drinks will be provided. BYO beer. These picnics have always been enjoyable in the past and we invite you all to come along to catch up with old friends and to meet new ones. Please place your name on the booking sheet on the notice-board to assist with catering or send an email to advise us you are coming. We will send an email reminder out closer to the date.

The Management Committee has recently reviewed a number of policies, including the Library Policy. The policy recognises the importance of our Library Collection as a reference resource to help research and document local identity and history, and to support and enrich the understanding of local history, including local heritage collections and places. The policy now defines key collection themes and principles. One of the main changes to the policy is that the library collection will no longer be available for general borrowing. This is to ensure that library items are accessible to those working on documenting our collection and responding to research

and other enquiries at all times. The policy allows for loans under certain circumstances. Library items may be viewed and read onsite by members during museum operating hours. The policy, together with other policies, can be viewed at http://www.pmhm.org.au/policies.php

New Library Policy

Facebook Followers In late November we hit 1500 Facebook followers, adding

500 new followers since September 2018. If you are on

Facebook you can help us grow our Social Media audience

by following us and sharing our posts. We make a regular

Facebook post each Friday morning. The posts feature

photographs from our great collection.