Preserving history

Temperatures at the St Arnaud Bible Museum will no longer run hot and cold following the installation of split-system reversecycle air-conditioners in the 115-year-old buildings.

Preservation of the museum’s documents, some of which are more than 400 years old, and artefacts – which are up to 2900 years old – has been a major concern for operators since the museum opened seven years ago.

Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Tony Driscoll said fluctuating temperatures, from searing heat in the summer to freezing cold in the winter, had made it difficult for volunteers to maintain an ideal temperature of 21-degrees Celsius and 50 percent humidity.

He said the council granted the museum $3000 towards installing an air-conditioner in each of the museum’s two buildings to ensure the museum’s contents were preserved for future generations.

He said the shire valued the work of volunteers trying to maintain the museum and recognised the importance of preserving the documents and artefacts.

“This grant should help reduce the manual workload of volunteers and draw more visitors to the museum as it will provide a more comfortable and enticing environment,” he said.

“Freeing up volunteers from chopping wood and stoking fires will give them more time to focus on the more important task of preserving and displaying the museum’s collection, which has drawn 12,000 visitors in the past seven years.”

The remaining funding for the project came from donations and a Foundation for Regional Rural Renewal grant.