PORT Macquarie MP Leslie Williams has welcomed more State Government funding for museums across the Mid North Coast.
“I am delighted to advise a grant of $43,942 has been awarded for the ‘Waterways’ project under the NSW Government’s 2013 Regional Museum Networking Grants Program,” Mrs Williams said.
“The project will build on existing regional collaborations to develop a water-themed heritage trail and web-based exhibition showcasing local museum collections. The six participating museums, Camden Haven Historical Society, Kempsey Museum (Macleay River Historical Society), Manning Valley Historical Society (Wingham Museum), Mid North Coast Maritime Museum, Port Macquarie Historical Society and Museum, and Wauchope Historical Society, will be assisted by museum and cultural tourism consultants.
“Local museums and galleries play a vital role in our communities and it is essential that we continue to support them. This website will also allow both visitors and locals to view detailed information about local cultural institutions, which has previously been very difficult to locate.”
Museums Australia – Mid North Coast Chapter president Debbie Sommers said collaborative projects like this one enabled volunteer-run museums to access and share much-needed professional support and expertise.
“The waterways project is all about our local water heritage and the project objectives are to not only build volunteer skills to better document collections on the lower Mid North Coast but most importantly to make our local cultural heritage collections more accessible to the public,” she said.
“The project will fund the development of a water-themed heritage trail brochure and a web-based exhibition to showcase local cultural heritage collections to a wide audience.
“The project will run over 2014 with the heritage trail brochure and web exhibition completed by December 2014.
