From the Archives

The school is looking at making a meaningful leap into sharing the significance of the Fort Street Archives collection by establishing a new Ron Horan Museum. So far the sharing of school history has been successfully done by regular individual enquiries, reunion support and more recently with the initial steps of the digitisation program where many have enjoyed searching the Fortian magazine digital collection on the school’s website. This can be found at http://www.fortstreet.nsw.edu.au/about/school-history/the-fortian-digitised/

However, there is something about seeing and engaging that no digital program can fulfil. It’s that moment when you see the old sundial from the girl’s school again or that estranged staircase that no one was allowed to use. Being in that childhood space or seeing that historical item, sometimes of national significance, is the next important stage for the Fort Street Archives community engagement plan. The new dedicated area is in the historical Wilkins Building with a larger space than the current Ron Horan room. It includes the central old foyer and stairwell as well as the old principal’s office. The new museum will be a multi-functional space, which includes toilets and a kitchen, to cater for reunion functions and meetings. The creation of a school museum offers an opportunity for our school and the broader community to celebrate Fort Street’s unique heritage, and to offer an ‘open book to the world’ of its history, contribution to society and its character.

We thank the FSBHS Class of 1958 who, at their recent reunion, donated funds towards the new Ron Horan Museum. If you would like to make a donation towards this important project you can either contact The Foundation or make a tax deductible donation to the Archives please follow the link to ONLINE PAYMENTS. (You will need to enter your name and today’s date in the student name and DOB and tick the box marked ‘other’ under payment options.)

http://www.fortstreet.nsw.edu.au/about/online-payments/

Iain Wallace

Archivist – Fort Street High School