End of an Era
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02 November 2020

The Queenscliffe Historical Museum in Hesse Street is ready for demolition prior to its re-building in 2021. Here are some impressions of the last day of the old Museum, Monday 2 November 2020.
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The heroic undertaking of packing up the Museum was masterminded by
Stephen Lee. The contents were efficiently packed up and labelled by a team of volunteers trained in COVID procedure by conservationist, John Greenwood, and organised by Jenny Ludeman. Everything was photographed and recorded in the computer files supervised by Kathy Lang.

We watched as Steve Lee guided the men from Drysdale Removals to load their van with the last items. They worked in sequence so that all could be
unloaded in reverse order at their destination.

So, what were the last impressions of the now empty museum as the removalists took off down Hesse Street? The now empty building looked sad and lonely. It has protected and preserved our precious collection for some five decades. Visitors and locals alike have come in and enjoyed discovering the Story of Queenscliffe. When the doors were closed and locked virtually nothing remained – even large areas of the carpet had gone to make the floors of the Victoria Tavern more welcoming.

Down the street, in the Tavern, boxes are waiting for volunteers to unpack them, so that in time we can continue a limited service to the community. Today, Diana Sawyer was making a few adjustments to the compactus, Jim Thyer and Lindsay Chatterton were re-establishing the IT equipment, and the contractors were routing and dropping cables through the ceilings. By the time the security system had been completed and activated, the last of the workers were ready to lock up and leave. This is a major milestone in the huge project so ably and determinedly lead by President Garry Spry. It is Cup Eve, and we now have our thoughts directed towards the one race that stops a nation……..