THE HAWKESBURY VETERANS AND FAMILY HUB MUSEUM
The Hunter ANZAC Memorial Limited (HAML) felt that the military history of the Scheyville site, particularly the OTU era, should be preserved in some form and that a museum should be set up on the site, mainly to remember the signified part that OTU played in the Australian Army, not only from 1965 until 1973, but for many years afterwards.
HAML sought funding to progress this concept and the Scheyville site was approved by the Coalition Government as one of the twenty Veteran and Family Hubs to be developed. The incoming Labor Government cancelled all the hubs, but later reinstated eight of them. Scheyville would become the Hawkesbury Veterans and Family Hub, the only hub in Sydney.
HAML has now received the funding for the Scheyville site and work is due to commence shortly on the restoration of the Gymnasium Hut, where a museum, based on the OTU era but inclusive of the other eras of use of the site, is to be developed.
Anyone who has OTU memorabilia that they would consider donating to the Scheyville site museum can contact:
Chairman, HAML, Brett Wild at chairman@hunteranzacmemorial.org.au or on 0488 255 666,
or Paul Irving (2/72) at paul.kaaren@gmail.com or on 0412 284 550 to discuss their donation.
Meanwhile, the Australian Army History Unit Museum, Duntroon, is being redeveloped to better display the history of officer training in Australia, and not, as one Curator stated: ‘being the repository for retired General’s uniforms!’ A Duntroon museum staff member said: ‘Our Scheyville collection could indeed be stronger in terms of objects and supporting stories and I would not say no to any donation given the aforementioned by the alumni.’
The contact at Duntroon is WO2 Steve Medforth at stephen.medforth@defence.gov.au or
(02) 5131 1960 or 0421 287 414.