Mount Isa's Underground Museum is gearing up for the 2019 tourist season and will be helped by a new volunteers room which was unveiled at a morning tea at the museum on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Museum volunteer coordinator Erica Shaw said the room at the back of the museum would be a workspace for volunteers.
"It's an exciting development and the volunteers didn't know about it because we've been closed for the summer months during which we've been working hard to make it into a functional room so they have somewhere to work," Ms Shaw said. "Previously it was a storeroom open to the elements, the weather and dust would come in and it was completely dysfunctional."
The room was formerly a matron's office, the home of former Mount Isa Hospital matron Beth Anderson for whom the Museum has been named. The room itself has been named in honour of Margaret Medley, who was instrumental in getting the Underground Museum up and running.
Ms Shaw said the Margaret Medley Volunteer Resource Room was made possible through the generous support of the Mount Isa Music Festival, Floorworx, Isa Skips, Mount Isa Paint and Decor, Mount Isa Shades and Screens, Stevo's Carpentry and Plumb-it Solutions
Tony McGrady, chair of the Mount Isa Music Festival committee said they donated $3500 towards the renovations when the festival went into recess.
"We invited people to make a submission for a grant and one that really attracted us was one from the Underground Museum because they came to us with a fully costed proposal to do the floors," Mr McGrady said.
"This is one place the tourists come to, it has a lot of memories for a lot of people and it goes back to the Second World War."
The Underground Museum re-opens for the tourist season on April 1.
While you are here subscribe to our weekly email to your inbox at 6am every Friday
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
