The newly established Community History Centre is part of the Wanneroo Museum and is located on the north side of the museum’s exhibition gallery on the ground floor of the Wanneroo Centre and Cultural Centre. Here in a dedicated research room, visitors can use our rich repository to explore Wanneroo’s history.
The Collection
The Centre collects, preserves and makes accessible to the residents of Wanneroo and wider communities, material about the districts that fall within the current boundaries of the City of Wanneroo. It also includes material relating to parts of the present municipal boundaries of the City of Joondalup, as historically, these districts fell within the Shire of Wanneroo’s boundaries before the creation in 1998 of the City of Joondalup. The collection focuses on the history and development of all these areas, with particular emphasis on its government, people, society, culture, physical environment and buildings, agricultural and commercial activities and the natural environment.
In the Community History Centre are books, pamphlets, periodicals, photographs, maps, oral history interviews and transcripts, archive material, research files, local government reports, newspapers and ephemera. It also has newsclippings containing biographical information about the people of Wanneroo, the City’s heritage sites and the history of its suburbs, and the existing collection of historic and contemporary photographs is being developed to allow both traditional and electronic access.
Visitors curious about their ancestors and wanting to carry out research into their family histories will find in this Centre, a collection of essential genealogical publications, as well as access to web-based resources, including the database, Ancestry Library Edition.
The Centre is open six days a week with the Community History Librarian in attendance for five of those days.
Community History Award 2013
You are invited to take part in this competition run by the Wanneroo Regional Museum, to encourage interest in and promote the history and heritage of the Wanneroo region. Entries can focus on any aspect of Wanneroo history such as a historic building, pioneer family or individual biography, history of an organisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories or memories of a particular decade or event.
There are two categories. Original Research in the form of an unpublished essay and Personal Memoirs/Migrant Stories, the format of which can be an unpublished memoir or audiovisual/visual material.
1st prize in each category is $500 and runner-up $150.
Closing date for entries is Friday 19 April 2013.
Further details are in the entry form which can be downloaded here. Also available at Wanneroo Regional Museum, WLCC, Civic Centre, Libraries and Community Centres.
Enquiries 9405 5925 or e-mail museum@wanneroo.wa.gov.au
Contact Us
Community History Librarian: Carol Leigh
E-mail: museum@wanneroo.wa.gov.au