Capital history in the news
ACT emergency crews mobilise to protect Namadgi National Park | Article explains that efforts to protect Namadgi National Park from approaching fires includes novel defences for several historic buildings, including Pryor’s Hut, built almost 70 years ago by the renowned botanist, the late Lindsay Pryor.
History lost as mountain huts go up in flames | Historian Matthew Higgins’ assessment of the heritage destroyed by the massive bushfires in the Snowy Mountains and how the community may be able to restore some of the lost heritage by rebuilding much loved historic huts as happened after the 2003 bushfires.
How to restore family history after a disaster | Conservator Victoria Pearce was inspired by her own experience of bushfires to create Endangered Heritage. For the past 10 years she has run Disaster Preparedness workshops which aim to jog people’s memories about what heritage items they need to take if they must evacuate. Another workshop focusses on conservation after a disaster.
NMA engages local projects for new gallery | A New York design firm is on a mission to bring an “emotional layer” to the National Museum of Australia, as part of a major shake-up of its display space. Local Projects, the company behind the September 11 Memorial in Manhattan and the revamp of Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney, has been commissioned to deliver the museum’s new permanent environmental gallery in time for its 20th birthday in 2021.
50 years of Indian Pacific celebrated with new 50c coin | The Royal Australian Mint is celebrating 50 years of Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions’ revered Indian Pacific, with a new coloured 50 cent coin depicting the iconic Australian train and the announcement of a competition to win a trip for two on the transcontinental
journey.
Acknowledgement: Inspired by Matthew Higgins’ thoughtful article about the impact the massive Snowy Mountains bushfires have had on high country heritage I have been looking for historic images of the mountain landscape. The image above is of the entrance to Kiandra and shows the town’s Court House. It was taken sometime between 1875 and 1938 by John Henry Harvey and is out of copyright and comes from the State Library of Victoria. See acknowledgement page for full details.
Please share. Let’s get the past and present talking.
