Previous find of the month
April 2009
Heritage Festival
New South Wales held their first Heritage Week back in March 1981. A month later the ACT Heritage Committee proposed sponsoring a Heritage Week for Canberra in 1982 with the assistance several local organisations.
The initial proposal from file '81/1546 - Recreation & Tourism Branch - Heritage Committee - ACT Heritage Week 1982':
Canberra’s first Heritage Week was held the following year on the 17th to 25th of April 1982 and has been held annually ever since.
The Press Release from file '81/1546 - Recreation & Tourism Branch - Heritage Committee - ACT Heritage Week 1982':
The 1982 Program from file '81/1546 - Recreation & Tourism Branch - Heritage Committee - ACT Heritage Week 1982':
The Albert Hall plays a prominent role in the Heritage Festival in Canberra with many organisations holding displays for the public.
Setting up for Heritage Week 1983 from file '82/1992 - Recreation & Tourism Branch - Heritage Committee - Heritage Week 1983':
In recent years it has become an Australia wide event with a name change to the Heritage Festival and a longer running time to accommodate a greater number of participating organisations.
The 1988 Heritage Week poster from file '88/1139 - ACT Arts Bureau - ACT Heritage Week 1988':
Photos of the 1988 Heritage Week Natural Environment display in the Albert Hall from the negative collection 'Heritage Week 1988 - Natural Environment - SEPC - 35mm':
This year’s Heritage Festival will run from 4th to 19th of April with the theme being “Space”. Be sure to visit the Archives ACT display "Acquiring Your Space : Leasehold in the ACT" upstairs at Woden Library. You can find more information on the Events ACT website.