The grant was announced at the National Library of Australia in Canberra on October 30, 2018.

The grant will assist in the identification and preservation of the Society’s community owned but nationally significant heritage collection. 

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In addition, Kay Wallace, who works in archives at the Wingham Museum, will attend a three-day intensive preservation and collection management workshop held at the National Library, the National Archives of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra.

Neal Greenaway, MVHS president, said the grant was important in supporting the effort to preserve the Museum’s collection and archives at the grassroots level. 

“While the grant provides the funds, the workshop offers the expertise to help us protect our collection and make it accessible while it remains in the local context,” Neal said.

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Sydney conservator Kay Soderlund will visit Wingham Museum in March 2019 to conduct her assessment of the collection. She will then provide a follow up report to guide the Society’s conservation efforts in the future.

Director-General of the National Library of Australia, Dr Marie-Louise Ayres, said the National Library was particularly delighted this year to again receive applications from all over the country.

This year, grants worth $367,470 were distributed to 60 community groups and organisations from around Australia.

The Community Heritage Grants program is managed by the National Library. It is funded by the federal government through the Department of Communications and the Arts, the National Archives of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive, the National Museum of Australia and the National Library.