Royal Far West Awarded Federal Community Heritage Grant

Royal Far West awarded federal Community Heritage Grant

Royal Far West has been awarded a federal Community Heritage Grant to fund
preservation and maintenance of its important archive collection.

The grant was announced at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, on
Wednesday, 11 November.

In 2009, grants worth $383,852 were distributed to 75 community groups and organisations from around Australia to assist in the identification and preservation of community owned but nationally significant heritage collections. In addition, Kerrie Kilponen from Royal Far West attended 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.

Royal Far West CEO Jann Kingston said the grant was important in supporting the effort to preserve the archive collection 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," she said. "Our archive dates back almost 100 years and tells a wonderful story of children's healthcare through the ages. Importantly, it also contains much of the history of Royal Far West and the many prominent figures who played a role in helping us care for country kids."

National Library Director-General Jan Fullerton said the Community Heritage Grants program showed the commitment by the National Library, along with its partner institutions and the Federal Government, in encouraging communities to care for the nation's heritage, be it in small country towns or capital cities.

"It is all about working together to help spread the message that if we don't preserve our history now, it could be lost forever," she said. "Through sharing this knowledge, the information can be taken back to the communities where it is most needed to ensure that local heritage collections are still there for future generations."

The grant money is used for significance assessments, preservation needs
assessments, conservation treatments, preservation training, digitisation, and
purchasing quality storage materials or environmental monitoring equipment.

The Community Heritage Grants Program is managed by the National Library. It is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts; the National Archives of Australia; the National Film and Sound Archive; the National Museum of Australia and the National Library.

Media contact:
Royal Far West
Sharon Hogan
0421 619 097

National Library of Australia
Dianne Dahlitz
6262 1147

SOURCE: Royal Far West