Photo caption: More funding support to assist the Land of the Beardies Museum in Glen Innes continue tits upgrade program, with members, back row, left, Jenny Sloman, Tony Trollup, President Peter Sloman, Steve Pearce, Archie Cameron, Debra Marshall. Front, Noela Turner, Eve Chappell, Northern Tablelands MP Adam marshall, Gaye Clibborn and Robyn Brouff.
Monday, 6 March 2023
GLEN Innes Historical Society members have been given the green light by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall to continue with their improvements to the Land of the Beardies Museum, with the announcement of a $44,100 Community Building Partnership grant to upgrade the building’s emergency exits.
Mr Marshall said the funding would bolster the society’s efforts to continue to improve the safety features of the iconic building.
“More than 4,000 people visit this museum each year so it is vital that if there is an emergency situation, everyone inside can exit the building safely,” Mr Marshall said.
“Early last year, the Historical Society embarked on a staged approach to improving access points throughout the museum, and this next project is another step towards ensuring the safety of all visitors.
“The funds mean that four emergency exits will be upgraded in accordance with regulations with new doors, panic bars, ramps, and handrails to be constructed by local builder Troy Baker
“These emergency exit improvements are essential to the safety of all their visitors, volunteers and tradesmen.”
Mr Marshall said he was also pleased to announce a $2,000 grant for the museum from the Volunteer Museum Small Grants 2022 program to stage an exhibition next year of three historically significant portraits to coincide with Glen Innes’ 150 years anniversary celebrations.
“This is an interesting project – three portraits of Glen Innes earliest European settlers, Archibald Boyd, his brother William and William’s wife Anne, have been donated to the Land of the Beardies Museum by the Roberts family,” Mr Marshall said.
“The portrait of Archibald is about 1.82 metres tall and thought to have been painted in the 1840s in Scotland and hung in the ancestral home south of Edinburgh.
“Archibald Boyd came to Australia in 1838 and was the first European squatter to occupy land around Glen Innes, claiming up to 100,000 acres.”
Glen Innes & District Historical Society Research Co-ordinator Eve Chappell said they were delighted to have been awarded the grant to upgrade emergency exits at the Museum and Research Centre.
“Our visitors include many school children visiting for our Education Program and many elderly people using walking fames, so we must provide a safe environment for everyone visiting the museum,” Mrs Chappell said.
“Due to the challenges of the past few years impacting our community, we could only contribute $2,000 ourselves to this essential work so we are most sincerely grateful to receive this funding.”