Great Southern Chapter Great Again!
Great Southern Chapter convenor, Malcolm Traill, reports on the July Chapter meeting held at Recollections of War Museum.
After some years in the wilderness, the Great Southern Chapter of AMAGA (WA) has discovered the elixir of youth and is bounding with energy once again.
After an April visit from Natalie Evans and Jess Davies, the Chapter is enthusiastically revitalised and met on July 4 at a fascinating and quite new institution, the ‘Recollections of War’ Military Museum at Youngs Siding, a small locality between Albany and Denmark.
Kathryn and John Shapland have developed a massive international military collection and now have a showcase venue (on their farm) in which to display it. With recent compliance approvals from the City of Albany, their local authority, they can now open to the public on a commercial basis.
And what a collection it is! Displayed in a purpose-built venue (it helps that John is a builder!) and on the main highway, the reactions to it have been universally positive. With visitors coming from interstate and overseas, their museum has a bright future indeed.
The dozen members of the Chapter (representing 7 institutions) were overwhelmed by the size and depth of the collection, which represents all sides of the stories of war, right up to the present day.
A phone hook-up from Natalie during our afternoon tea also gave the members a snapshot of the events and plans of the local AMaGA branch, and each member also outlined their institution’s current exhibitions and activities.
The plan is for the GS Chapter to meet quarterly and vary the venue between city (Albany) and country, so giving the outlying museums and galleries a better chance to take part. Many thanks to the Shaplands (and their daughters Karina and Alyssa) for hosting us, and, more pertinently, for creating this fabulous resource in a most unexpected setting.
Next time you’re heading to the deep south, it’s a must-see for any museum fanatic!
Thank you to Bob Symons from the ACE Camera Club in Albany for taking photographs of the day.
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