Our petition to place heritage protection on the BARC Huts achieves well over 1,000 signatures !!

When Helen Topor and her husband Peter Fullagar (from Canberra) visited the exhibition in April, Helen was horrified to find so much of the former camp buildings gone, and the huts that are left in such poor repair. 

When I told her that the huts were not heritage protected she kindly offered to help, and start a petition. Thank you Helen.

We reached a total of 1,028 signatures. 406 on-line and 622 as paper-based. Victorian signatures make up 649 and of those, Benalla has 391. 

The rest, 379 are interstate Australian signatures.

International signatures add up to 68.

Well done and thank you everyone.

The fight to save the huts continues.

  

Would you like to help make some entrance banners for our Exhibition?

Sabine Smyth with John Joyce

If you do, can you please contact the 

North East Multicultural Association (NEMA) , 

John Joyce or Tania Magennis 

on (03) 5721 2090?

We are looking for people who would be happy to spend a half day designing motifs and sewing them onto two colourful banners under the guidance of experienced 'banner makers'/tailors who will help out with advice and hands-on help. It should be fun. I will be there too and it will be great to see you.
No need to have any sewing experience although this would be great. 
All you need is some time to spare and some enthusiasm to pool your ideas with others.

Date: To be advised - will be worked out to suit you and others

Venue: Benalla Art Gallery

Lunch catering will be provided.

John Joyce and his team look forward to hearing from you.

Recent Exhibition Visitors

Exhibition Opening March 8 - Labour Day Weekend

The Sukys Family visited.

Sulev Matt.

We invested our door takings from Australia Day straight back into reprinting some of our photos - which had faded badly.

450 Visitors said Good Bye to Latoof and Callil

Another good reason to come visit the exhibition on Australia Day

First of all, our exhibition at BARC Hut 11 is not open on the Australia Day Weekend.
Instead, once only,  Sunday 25th January and Monday 26th January we are in the old clothing factory, formerly named Latoof and Callil. It is located across from Benalla Hospital.

Well-known photographer Helga Leunig will be exhibiting there with us ...

Helga Leunig's wonderful book of photographs, 

with the title 'Mother Country' 

will be available in shops in April. 

The book is published by Five Mile Press 

and features a number of items from our exhibition, 

see below, The Polish Folk Costume, 

contributed by the Swist Family.

One of the small selection of beautiful photos that will be 

here on display.

Exciting Plans for the Australia Day Weekend 2015

The front view of the former Latoof and Callil Clothing Factory in Coster Street.

The old Latoof and Callil Canteen, in which we will have our exhibition.

We recently learnt that the former Latoof and Calill Factory (also known as Benalla Spinners,  located in Coster Street across from our hospital), where many of the migrants worked as part of their immigration contract with the Australian Government, will not stand much longer.
The site has been sold and will be demolished to make way for a residential development according to the new owners.
On the Australia Day Weekend they have given us access to the site for a special, limited exhibition. So you will find us here only, and not at BARC Hut 11 this one time.
The site holds so many memories for so many migrants, that we thought it would be great to have one last look. Our Opening will be part of the official Australia Day Program.
Watch this blog, and the Benalla Rural City Website, as we put together the program for the weekend.