Springfield transformed: family collection into national treasure

The Springfield collection, donated to the National Museum of Australia under the Cultural Gifts Scheme in 2004, relates to colonial settlement and the development of the pastoral industry in Australia. It is also a rich collection of family mementos and memories – objects contextualised by much archival material and oral history – and transformed from one family's history to an historical treasure for the nation.

This paper outlines the history of the Springfield collection, the remarkable families who cared for it and the National Museum's work to make the collection available to the Australian people.

Carol Cooper, National Museum of Australia

Carol Cooper is the Manager of Registration at the National Museum of Australia. Carol has worked in collecting institutions as an audiovisual archivist, curator and collections manager. From 2002 to 2006 she was President of the Australian Registrars Committee. Carol's research interests include the uses of museum collections, and historical collections of photographs and artefacts relating to Indigenous Australian history and early cultural contact with Europeans.

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