Kowie Museum to leave current home

After several years of uncertainty about its tenure of the Old Station Building, the custodians of the Kowie Museum have reluctantly accepted that a move is inevitable, despite valiant efforts by everyone concerned, including tourism and the Little Train Dons.

So, ironically, instead of organising 40th anniversary celebrations, the trustees and the volunteers are forced to pack up the museum’s treasured collections and move out of their historic 1884 premises.

The premises have been promised to another tenant. What is the next step? Fortunately, the Bathurst Agricultural Museum is kindly finding space for us, and relevant displays will be set up there. For instance, the original plaques from the Toposcope, replaced with modern materials, will now be displayed close to their original home.

And many other items of particular local interest will vie for a place there.

The fine collection of history books, some of them valuable, are mostly from the Historical Society’s archives and housed at the museum. They will be handed back to the LAHS.

The museum’s vast and fascinating collection of old photographs and papers are to be held in safekeeping for the time being, as they require careful sorting and recataloguing.

The owners of items lent for display are now invited to contact the museum to retrieve their property, if they wish to.

Much needs to be done within the set time frame. The museum will be open each day over the Easter weekend at the usual times of 9.30am to 12.30pm and continue as usual; then will come special open days with “last chance” viewing for the public from Thursday April 11 April to Saturday April 13 when the Museum will finally close its doors.

After that will come the deluge of sorting, packing, and moving out, all by the end of August. In the meantime, the new tenant is waiting to move in.