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All Volunteers: The Queenscliffe Historical
Museum
Background
The Queenscliffe Historical Museum is a social history museum operating
in a purpose built building in Hesse Street Queenscliffe. The Museum
holds extensive collections of photographs, documents, books, clothing,
household and personal items, shipwreck material, toys and tools
representative of Queenscliffe since 1838. Since its inception the
Museum has been organised by volunteers. A conservative summary
of the contribution by these volunteers in terms of average hours
each week of the year would be as follows:
- The Committee of Management executive:
President: 14 hours, Secretary: 10 hours, Treasurer: 6 hours.
- Committee members and volunteers with specific
responsibilities: 10 volunteers doing 4 hours each.
- Volunteers on research and specific projects:
6 volunteers doing 5 hours each.
- Volunteers staffing Museum opening hours:
40 volunteers doing 1.5 hours a week each.
The committees
The Committee of Management meets monthly as the policy making body.
Meeting agendas are largely oriented to financial and management
matters including conservation and exhibition organisation. Committee
members have qualifications, experience or expertise in their main
areas of responsibility. They convene and are actively involved
in the sub-committee system. This provides an advice and decision
making link between the Committee and the volunteers involved in
key activities.
Volunteer roles
Volunteers are appointed by the Committee of Management on the basis
of word of mouth recommendation or response to a general invitation.
The policy of the Committee is to invite volunteers who have expressed
interest in a chosen activity to pursue that activity. As far as
possible volunteers are asked to assume duties which are of interest
to them, which they do not find burdensome or too challenging. Emergencies
are covered by relying on the willingness of key people to assume
responsibilities additional to their own or by temporary changes
to work practice.
The scope of the objectives of a social history
museum attracts volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds. The
range of people now living in the Borough provides a human resource
that can supply a range of volunteers with diverse interests matching
the complex social history of this key colonial and resort centre.
A characteristic of the Museum's volunteers is that they are broadly
involved as volunteers in other local organisations. This active
approach is personally rewarding but it is also a benefit to the
Museum which is a key social institution within the Borough.
The volunteers play an important role in advising
on the direction of Museum policy and protocols and are able to
carry out their chosen or allocated responsibilities with minimum
direction. A number are involved in more than one area of interest,
for example, the photograph collection and pioneer research. This
cross interest involvement increases good communication and helps
to ensure uniform approaches and standards. The Committee of Management
provides volunteers with as much information as possible to enable
them to give a succinct background to items on display. This is
done through induction and training, by written information in the
volunteers' Notes for Helpers folio and a Day Book which records
new information and answers to visitors' queries. Following an induction
program, with the President or another experienced volunteer, follow
up help is offered as staff indicate their interests. The majority
of volunteers confine their interests to the presentation and operation
of the Museum. A core, however, attend seminars on archives and
museum matters.
Museum visitors
The Museum opens every day for two hours in the afternoon. During
peak periods 35 to 50 visitors may spend time in the exhibition
area. A few make a brief visit. Some stay for nearly two hours.
Many have connections with Queenscliffe or are researching family
history. Increasingly, residents are researching the ownership,
architectural and building history, photographic images and stories
of their properties. Overseas visitors may have family connections
or a general interest in colonial history. Some visitors are intensively
interested in the detail of display items, or their usage, or their
uniqueness or the way in which they contribute to the visitor's
understanding of Australian history.
The volunteers are justifiably proud of the
Museum and their contribution to the local community, to the enjoyment
and education of visitors and historians, to the advancement of
the role of museums and Australia's social history.
Jocelyn Grant, President, Queenscliffe Historical
Museum. For more information call (03) 5258 2511. The Queenscliffe
Historical Museum is located in the main St, Hesse St, Queenscliff*
between the Post Office and the Library. It is open to the public
from 2-4pm Mon-Sun.
* Queenscliff (without an 'e') is the correct
spelling for the town, and Queenscliffe refers to the Borough.
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