Parramatta Heritage and Visitors Centre Sweeps State Museum Awards

20 Oct 2009

Parramatta City Council’s Heritage and Visitor Information Centre was awarded the Organisation Award for Excellence and Excellence in Exhibitions at the annual Museums and Galleries New South Wales IMAGinE Awards on Saturday night.

Now in their second year, the awards celebrate the achievements of the museum and gallery sector in NSW and the ACT and those who work within it.

“Parramatta City Council is extremely proud of our staff at the Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Information Centre on this excellent achievement,” said Lord Mayor of Parramatta Cr Paul Garrard.

“These awards highlight the fantastic job our staff do in engaging the community and our visitors with Parramatta’s fascinating cultural heritage and tourism experiences”

This year over 60 nominations were received across five categories. The Heritage and Visitor Information Centre competed in a strong field of distinguished institutions which included the Australian Museum and the Powerhouse Museum.

The Women Transported exhibition won the Excellence in Exhibitions award for research undertaken by the curator and research team in developing an exhibition which explored a forgotten part of Australian history. The exhibition was developed by the Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Information Centre, and has since toured the country. It has previously been awarded for its interactive education DVD at the Museums Australia Multimedia and Publications awards.

The Parramatta Heritage and Visitor Information Centre won the Organisation Award for Excellence for its achievements in the area of museum practice, recognising its efforts in sustainable audience development, exhibitions, new and engaging public programs and community capacity building programs. The team at the centre, led by Manager Karen O’Donnell was commended for its efforts at involving and engaging the community and visitors with its services across all areas including Archives, Locals Studies and Education.

“These awards reflect that the Centre is a leader in community education – providing visitors with historical, recreational, cultural and transport information,” he said.

“There is so much to discover in Parramatta, and these awards prove that the Parramatta Heritage and Information Centre is a good starting point for everyone when they come to visit our City,” Cr Garrard said.

Parramatta Heritage and Information Centre volunteers Beth Mathews and Anne Mathews will also shortly receive Heritage Branch – Department of Planning volunteer awards for their work in heritage and the Women Transported exhibition.