Sponsored by Gawler Civic Centre
History volunteers working hard “Behind the Scenes”
The Gawler Civic Centre is thriving since it’s remodel back in 2019, with a successful Youth Centre, a library with an adjacent cafe and new additions such as the Cultural Heritage Centre.
With three dedicated spaces-the Heritage Gallery, the Research Centre and the Reading Room, the Cultural Heritage Centre has a variety of opportunities for volunteers.
The centre currently has a full roster of volunteers, helping to collate and catalogue artefacts from throughout Gawler’s history.
Volunteers also research Gawler’s history and help visitors undertake their own research.
The volunteer group have also helped to install the current exhibition running at the centre, titled “Behind the Scenes: The History of Theatre and Entertainment in Gawler”.
The exhibition was recently awarded an Interpretation Australia National Award for Excellence.
This exhibition immerses visitors in the stories of entertainment in Gawler over the last 170 years, through clothing, instruments and pictures, plus interactive components and atmosphere to suit.
Working behind the scenes is what this group of volunteers does best, working towards cleaning each instrument by hand, retrieving, cleaning and displaying the period clothing pieces and putting together a plethora of information for every attendee to learn from.
Volunteer, Sophie Brown, is fond of historical dress and the clothing worn by those from a different time, and loves anything music related.
Growing up with her father and fellow history lover and volunteer, Adrian Brown, history is something they have both shared interest in and bonded over for years.
“I’ve always been into historical fashion; it’s just lovely having access to hundreds of resources,” Sophie said. “It’s always really interesting when you find an unidentified person, someone that you don’t know, but then later on you see someone and think I recognise them, and you can go back… Even if you don’t know them personally.”
Adrian, who works with historical artifacts and catalogues even in his spare time, has many fond memories of when history impacted him more than usual.
“There’s a lot of pictures that you get to see, and what’s interesting is a postcard I came across, taken by Marchant who were the local photographers at the time,” he said.
“The photo is of the exact moment electric light was first turned on in Gawler.
“So, someone took a picture of it, but you wouldn’t know it was that except for the fact that she was writing to somebody on the postcard… This was in 1912.”
Thomas East, who has volunteered for a year and a half now, has worked not so much in cataloguing or working with fashion, but working on projects and researching information.
“The first project I worked on was about a RAAF squadron which was formed in 1943 in Gawler, so next year is their 80-year anniversary and they’ve asked me to write up a history of the squadron,” he said.
“In my research I discovered a local boy went missing…”
Petra Brown, the Heritage Research and Collection Officer, is a paid employee, but knows how important the volunteers are, and steers them in the right direction when she can.
This division of the Gawler Civic Centre wouldn’t be what it is without them.
“The big takeaway from this is they’re all passionate,” Petra said.
This dedicated group contributes so much knowledge, excitement and determination to help put together exhibitions, and catalogue and document so much history of surrounding areas.
Each volunteer brings something different to the table through their passions and interests, alongside their skills and love for history.
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89-91 Murray Street, Gawler SA 5118