Somehow we have reached the end of 2024, and what a busy and exciting year it has been for the Senior Museum Development Officers. To celebrate our amazing communities and what we’ve all achieved this year, here’s a bit of a rundown of our regions…
First of all, a few numbers. The MDOs cover all of Queensland, from the Torres Strait to Stanthorpe, Maroochydore to Camooweal, and everywhere in between. While we don’t always make it to all of our communities in person, with the wonders of technology we are more contactable than ever before.
Across the state, the five MDOs have made 3,822 phone calls and emails to community groups, museums, keeping places, archives and the myriad of other wonderful organisations who care for our cultural heritage. They’ve also made 205 in-person visits across the state, whether to stop by to check in, run a workshop, install an exhibition or assist with disaster recovery (among many, many other things).
We are very lucky to do what we do and work with some truly amazing communities. We’re also all looking forward to a bit of a rest over the festive season, ready to hit the roads of Queensland again in 2025.
Without further ado, here’s a few highlights of our year!
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
For Far North Queensland, another madly busy and wonderful year! Jo has travelled many thousands of kilometres around her beautiful region, working with communities as diverse as the Low Isles to Babinda, and many places in between.
A major highlight of Jo’s year was the opportunity to stay at the Low Isles’ assistant lighthouse keeper’s house while onsite developing a plan to refresh the museum in this incredible location. Jo was also thrilled to hear from the Babinda Museum’s president that the museum had won a number of prizes at this year’s AMAGA awards – a fitting reward for such a huge development journey. Babinda Museum opened its doors in January this year.
KEY STATS FOR FNQ
Most remote place visited: Burketown, 900km from Cairns.
Favourite object: Cement tiles holding coral specimens on the Low Isles, from the Great Expedition in 1928-1929.
Number of pelicans on the Low Isles: plentiful
Best hot chips: Torres Hotel, Thursday Island (with a side of coral trout…)
Best sunset: Too many great ones to count!
NORTH QUEENSLAND
Ewen has had the highest kilometre count of us all this year through joining the SMDOs on the road. Trips included traversing the far north from the Torres Strait to Cairns and Burketown, and Camooweal to Townsville. A trip to Mackay with Sophie as well as a few trips to Thallon and St George with Elspeth and Chantal kept those kilometres ticking over.
KEY STATS FOR NQ
Most remote place visited: Road between Burketown and Camooweal – Camooweal 1,100km from Townsville.
Favourite object: The collection at The Drovers Camp in Camooweal
Number of channel country channels crossed: 100s (a lot of them wet!)
Best hot chips: Bird’s Fish Bar at Bowen Fishermans Seafood Co, Bowen
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
Central Queensland had the wonderful Sophie on the road a lot this year, connecting with many communities and undertaking projects in areas as diverse as collection management to heritage conservation. One of major highlights of her year was developing and implementing the project plan alongside the Mackay Regional Council team to dismantle and conserve the Hamilton Slab Hut, held by Mirani Museum. The project was successfully completed with the assistance of heritage conservation experts, meaning this significant hut and its stories will be preserved for future generations.
Along with Ewen and Jo, Sophie assisted the Australian Sugar Heritage Centre in Mourilyan early in the year after Cyclone Jasper caused significant damage to the buildings and collections. Disaster response is one of the most challenging parts of our role, particularly bearing witness to the emotional toll it takes on the passionate volunteers trying their very best to save their precious objects.
Sophie had the most prehistoric year amongst us, seeing more than 20 dinosaurs on her journeys into Western Queensland including the truly iconic Muttaburrasaurus. She also revelled in those glorious western skies and sunsets.
KEY STATS FOR CQ
Most remote place visited: Longreach, 772km from Townsville.
Oddest object: Medical electrocution kit from Mackay Museum, used for treating all manner of ailments…not sure how successfully!
Best hot chips: Tattersalls Hotel, Winton
SOUTHERN INLAND QUEENSLAND
Southern Inland Queensland was fortunate enough to have the wonderful Chantal Bennett on the ground from October 2023 until August 2024, while Elspeth was on maternity leave. During her time traversing the region, Chantal worked with the Thallon Progress Association to successfully apply for the Building Bush Tourism Grant, as well as the Community Sustainability Action Grant. This funding is being used for developing a Railway Interpretive Centre in the Thallon Goods Shed, as well as upgrading signage for the beautiful Old Bullamon Homestead. Elspeth has continued developing the content for both sites and it will be an incredible set of projects making Thallon an even more enticing destination. Thallon will always hold a tiny frisson of fear for Chantal after Brute the Ute had a tyre blowout on the way into town…luckily Leanne and the community were on hand to help!
The SIQ team have also made some great new connections (and refreshed some old ones!) in Gympie, Cherbourg, Jandowae, Maryborough, the Toowoomba network of archivists, Charleville and Jondaryan.
KEY STATS FOR SIQ
Most remote place visited: Thallon, 400km from Toowoomba (although didn’t feel remote given the number of wonderful local community members Chantal and Elspeth were lucky enough to meet!)
Echidnas spotted: 2!
Favourite object: Ribbon used for opening the Jandowae railway line – there was no blue ribbon available in town so red ribbon it was!
Best hot chips: Francis Hotel, Thallon (Chantal); Urban Paddock, Dalby (Elspeth)
Best horse pats: Mabel in Thallon (Chantal), Clydesdales at Jondaryan (Elspeth)
SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND
Last but definitely not least, Josh has had a busy year on the road, both in his own region as well as assisting with projects in neighboring regions as well. He’s had a packed schedule of workshops, including a sold-out Collection Management 101 session on the Sunshine Coast and a series of workshops for the Bundaberg RSL with Chantal, focused on caring for their unique collections. He has also worked closely with subject experts at Queensland Museum to diversify what the MDO Program can offer regional heritage organisations – he has developed a Digitisation workshop with collection photographer Peter Waddington and an Education Programming workshop with experienced educator Tony Coonan.
Josh has deepened his knowledge and connection with the First Nations team, developing workshops with Repatriation Manager Dany Williams and streamlining MDO processes for working with First Nations collections in the community. He also participated as a reviewer for Museums and Galleries QLD’s Standards Review Program, sharing his extensive knowledge with museums working towards best practice national standards.
KEY STATS FOR SEQ
Best object: The Australian BMX Freestyle Archive in Beenleigh (also known as Unscene History) – a uniquely contemporary collection about a sport with its first home in Queensland.
Most remote trip: Josh’s trips sometimes feel the longest as he has the worst traffic of all of us! Otherwise Stanthorpe, 200km from Ipwsich.
Best hot chip: In a dramatic turn of events, Josh has declared his food of the year Beestings from Blackbutt Bakery! Dare to be different…
We hope you have a safe and happy festive season, perhaps with an occasional visit to a museum wherever you are. Thank you to all our communities for the wonderful experiences of the year, and we acknowledge all the hard work being done in regional and remote Queensland to protect and care for the state’s rich heritage.
The SMDOs look forward to another busy and rewarding year in 2025, with one or two hot chips here and there.
Queensland Museum & Community Collections 
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