By Christine de Kock
THE Living Museum of the West celebrated its 21st anniversary on Sunday.
The museum, at Pipemakers Park, has become a community icon since it was established in 1984.
Director Peter Haffenden, who has been involved with the museum since it opened, said its aim was to record and display the social history of the West.
“I continue here because it became clear to me how important the stories and narratives of the local area can be,” Mr Haffenden said.
“It’s particularly interesting in this area because the narrative crosses cultural lines and it’s a fairly old place as far as Melbourne’s story goes.
“Do you know about our castle?
“Or that Sunshine got its name from a piece of machinery?”
Raleigh’s castle was built out of bluestone from nearby quarries in Maribyrnong.
The castle is said to have been a hostel for quarry workers.
The Sunshine Harvester factory is said to have given the suburb its name.
Mr Haffenden recorded such social history in his book Your History Mate, which was published by the museum in 1994.
A former journalist, Mr Haffenden has also recorded several interviews with people in the West to keep track of the social changes in the community.
“We’re looking at the reality of culture, not the myth of culture,” he said.
Mr Haffenden said the museum was often a first point of contact for new immigrants who wanted to learn more about the area.
The museum is often visited by community and school groups.
To coincide with the celebrations the museum will host Pobblebonk, a new exhibition about animals that live along the banks of the Maribyrnong River.
The free exhibition features a number of panels, which depict the Maribyrnong’s environment and the microscopic life, crustaceans, insects, frogs, reptiles, mammals and birds that live there.
The project aims to connect people to the river environment so that they will feel more inclined to maintain the animals’ habitats.
