'Friends' launched

Heritage Minister Simon Corbell has just announced a Heritage grant of $7,845 to the School Museum. This is excellent news, and will enable the small but growing group of volunteers to keep up the good work of conserving, managing, and promoting the School and its fine collection.

In addition, the inaugural meeting of the 'Friends of Hall School Museum' was held on 21 September, and elected a small steering group to work with the Curator, Phil Robson, in managing the Museum.

Those elected are Jan Peelgrane, Allen Mawer, Rosalie Richards and Jenny Holcombe. Thanks, and congratulations to you! There is already forty 'Friends', but we would like to expand this number. An initial annual membership fee of $20 was agreed.

Dr Malcolm Beazley AM, Curator of the Australian National Museum of Education (ANME), gave a talk to the meeting. Malcolm, who has great experience and knowledge of educational history, and of school museums, gave the meeting an informative 'ABC' of some of the main issues to be faced in running the Museum.

His ANME colleague, Dr Geoffrey Burkhart, was also present. They were key members of the team that undertook a full inventory of our Museum a year or two back. Others included former Principal Mardie Troth, and former local boy and pupil, John Moore, up from Albury for the occasion.