Grant to help museum buy masonic lodge

THE Teviot District Museum has received $80,000 towards buying Roxburgh’s Masonic Lodge in the town’s main street, to add to the current early settler museum.

Teviot District Museum secretary Barbara Fraser said chairman John Rowley and the committee were delighted at the grant.

‘‘The museum’s current location is tucked away on Abbotsford St.

‘‘The small stone cottage is full to overflowing, and has no running water or toilets. It is also in a more prominent location, which will attract more visitors.’’

The committee was finalising the sale agreement with the Freemasons and hoped to have the deal signed soon.

Environment and heritage was a key sector for trust funding, Central Lakes Trust chief executive Susan Finlay said.

‘‘The trust supports projects and organisations that preserve and promote the physical and cultural heritage of our region and that protect and enhance the environment in which we live.

‘‘This funding round highlights the work our community is doing to preserve our heritage and environment.’’

The Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust received $62,500 towards the purchase of the old Methodist Church, a registered heritage building in Cromwell. The heritage trust’s offices are in the building, as is the local movie theatre.

‘‘Securing the purchase of the building means we can look to preserve and restore it for our future generations and the community’s use,’’ heritage trust treasurer Odette HopgoodBride said.

Two pilot programmes in the education and youth sectors also received trust funding.

Central Otago Reap’s counsellor in schools programme received $30,000 and Whaiao Putea’s education pilot programme for sustainable development learning in the community received $28,000.

In total over $4.7 million was approved for the first meeting of the trust’s financial year, with $3.6 million in multiyear grants.