This placement will see me based at the University of Melbourne working with some of their 31 amazing museum collections. I will be undertaking several different projects with these collections to further develop my curatorial and collections managment skills . . . I know I'm going to have lots of fun along the way too!!

Friday 27 July 2012

Cultural Treasures Festival Fun

It's my last proper day in Melbourne today and I helped out at the Cultural Treasures Festival. It is a big event that so many people have worked really hard to make special. I was positioned in the hub on the University campus helping to run the children's activities. As well as my treasure hunt kids could put together their own jigsaw-rhino (part of the logo for the event) and the lovely ladies from the Calligraphy Society were also making bookmarks with names on. It was great to talk to people and see what their different interests were. The festival is special this year as it also coincides with Melbourne Open House and the Rare Book Fair. I'm helping to man an information stand on one of the University gates tomorrow morning and I am sure there will be lots of 'people traffic'.
I now have to pack-up all my things and get ready to leave. Although I can't wait to see my family back home I am sad to be leaving Melbourne and all the people that I have met here. Everyone has been so lovely and it has been a real pleasure to work and socialise with them. I have learnt so much that I know will be of benefit to me both personally and professionally. More specifically I have learnt a lot about the University Collections here and there are particular processes that I know we can implement to great effect back in Birmingham.
Goodbye Melbourne! You have been a fabulous host city and I will certainly be back in the future. I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that I worked with; all those people at the University Cultural Collections, the staff at the Ian Potter Museum and the Grainger Museum, the team at CCMC and the University Archives and also the two previous Melbourne award winners, Emma Neale and Emily Wubben (and Emily's lovely family) - we have the beginnings of a great 'award community'! You were all so welcoming and made a Birmingham girl feel very safe so far away from home. Thank you for everything, it has been a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Children's activites at the Cultural Treasures Festival
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