Port history to the fore at heritage talk

History buffs, historians, scholars, locals and visitors are all been invited to a heritage forum being held at the Bunbury Heritage Centre and Museum next month.

The event is the brainchild of the Heritage Advisory Committee and will feature presentations and panel discussions revolving around the Bunbury Port.

Committee chairman Bunbury city councillor Brendan Kelly said the committee wanted to expand its scope to include Bunbury’s history as well as its heritage.

“This will be the second forum, we had one last year,” he said.

“Transport emerged as a natural thing to talk about in the context of commerce development, industry and the South West’s growth.”

With a set schedule or agenda yet to be confirmed, the forum will feature four speakers with each speaking session to be followed by a short question and answer time for those wanting to know more about a particular subject.

The first iteration of the forum drew close to 50 attendees, a figure organisers are hoping to emulate this year.

“I have received a lot of RSVPs to date already,” City of Bunbury heritage officer Lacey Brown said.

“I’ve had some from the Bunbury Historical Society, I’ve had some new arrivals to Bunbury who want to learn more about the place that they live in, plus some academics and long-term Bunbury community members.”

Bunbury Heritage Centre and Museum heritage officer Nicole Azzalini said the event was an important one for Bunbury, a view shared by Bunbury Historical Society president Graham Houghton.

“It’s important to get it out into the community that we have this amazing history that is surrounding the port,” Ms Azzalini said.

“There’s also the fact that there is a museum here that can be contacted at any time if they want to know more.”

The 2019 Bunbury Heritage Forum: Bunbury Port will be held on August 23 and start at 10.30am.