It was inspiring to be part of the opening of the new Museum of the Riverina.

I would like to acknowledge all levels of Government and all those involved in the ongoing investment in the Museum.

Culture and heritage are inseparable and vital part of our identity and is why this redevelopment and new exhibits are so needed and welcome.

Wiradjuri Elder and Stolen Generation Survivor Aunty Isabel welcomed guests to country and Mayor Dallas Trout acknowledged country and Elders past, present and future. The NSW minister for the Arts, the Hon Ben Franklin spoke and officially opened the museum and Member for Riverina, the Hon Michael McCormack responded.

Many new items have been included in the Museum’s collection such as 90 year old public telephones, the mouthguard of local sporting great Alisha Quirk and ‘Moon landing’ television sets from the 1960s.

A collection of Wiradjuri artefacts have been also returned to our community, including clubs, a rare shovel, brass plates and shields. This is one of those rare moments where a national gallery has returned local artefacts to where they truly belong, that is, their community. The work done to recognise local Wiradjuri culture and heritage has been fantastic and I wish to pay tribute to the our First Nations members who have so generously worked to make this positive engagement a reality.

I was most impressed by the Museum’s prize piece which is a chaff station. The chaff station included a chaff cutting machine, a wagon, a steam box, a water cart and most notably a mobile kitchen. This chaff station is Australia’s best preserved heritage food truck, to think it had been sitting in a paddock for 50 years!

Tourists and locals alike will be attracted to and inspired by the local history, culture and artwork that have been collected in the Museum of the Riverina and I encourage everyone to attend!