HISTORY enthusiasts fear valuable items from Bendigo's past could be lost, as they continue to search for a permanent home for their collection.
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The Bendigo Historical Society has been told it must move its collection from the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, as its non-paper items risk contaminating paper records stored on site.
The City of Greater Bendigo has presented several options to the society, but members say these won't work, as much of their collection needs to be stored in a climate controlled environment.
President Jim Evans said it was also important society members had easy access to the collection, for research work.
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Committee member Barbara Poustie said the City of Greater Bendigo had given the historical society two options: installing shipping containers as storage near the archives centre to hold the collection, or putting it into a separate storage site.
Mrs Poustie said these storage options had air conditioning, but were not climate controlled, posing risks to the collection from moisture.
She said both options would hamper ongoing research work, which relied on easy access to the collection.
Mrs Poustie said the society's home at the archives centre - provided rent-free by the city - had been absolutely fantastic.
She said the city had been searching for a new site fitting the society's brief, but unable to find one yet.
Mrs Poustie said objects in the society's collection had an intrinsic value, as they told the stories of people in Bendigo, dating as early as the 1850s.
City of Greater Bendigo acting chief executive Vicky Mason said only paper records could be stored at the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre, so it maintained its class A accreditation.
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The Bendigo Regional Archives Centre is home to historical records for several organisations across the region, including the city's.
Ms Mason said some Bendigo Historical Society documents could remain at the archives centre, but many of the historical society artifacts needed to be stored separately.
She said non-paper items risked contaminating paper records if they were stored together.
Ms Mason said the city had been working for more than a year to find a solution that met the needs of the Bendigo Historical Society.
She said the collection belonged to the historical society, but the city was working with them as they would work with any other community group.
A Public Records Office Victoria spokesperson said the Bendigo Regional Archives Centre on Nolan Street lacked the space to properly house the growing historic collections stored there.
They said the PROV was working the the City of Greater Bendigo on a long-term solution, that allowed preservation of and access to the Bendigo Historical Society Collection and other public records.
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