ReOPEN Highfields Pioneer Village Museum

Covid-19 a killer for our Museum Sector: Our income vanished overnight as the coronavirus crisis unfurled, with our big ticket events being cancelled along with all our school and senior group bookings also cancelling due to the Covid 19 restrictions, it has put the museum and gallery sector into a very difficult position. Especially the Highfields Pioneer Village, Museum and Park Inc. says treasurer Jody Dodds, ““Our volunteers supported the decision to close as we are concerned about the health and safety of our volunteers, as well as the general public... Our main source of income was our Easter Vintage Festival and school and senior’s groups, the Village was more than self-sufficient in the 12 months leading up to Covid 19, now we need your help”. The committee scrambled searching for a solution from state, federal and local government to no avail “The problem is we do not meet the selection criteria for the stimulus package because we do not employ ANY staff! Our museum is run entirely by volunteers; we are non-profit and registered as a charity.” Jody says. “It is a major commitment from members of our community who give their time freely to volunteer and support the programs at the Village. Before Covid 19 we were open 7 days a week from 10am to 4pm, it is the first time in 27 years that we have had to close our gates to the public”. There is a skeleton crew working at the Village to water the gardens and feed the animals and maintain the buildings and displays. “There is a dedicated family working on the security fence and our Big Cow projects which were funded last year by Clive Berghofer, Chetty’s Excavations, Universal Cranes, George's Loader Hire, Doug's Shade Sheds, Sugden Cranes and members of the community, our volunteers have an excellent track record in the restoration of artefacts and following through with our projects, but it is the basic expenses we need to cover now.” The Highfields Pioneer Village provides a venue for the local Australia day Celebrations and is also a host for Community Service and Work for the Dole programs as well as facilitating projects for disabled & Centrelink volunteers, Duke of Edenborough Awards, School based Work Experience and Mental Health QLD projects.  Jody reports that the electricity bill is a whopping $5,000 per quarter and the total utilities costs for the Village are $30,000 per year. “We need to raise a minimum of $30,000 to be able to reopen in September; because of the high costs of electricity it is simply not feasible to open our gates any earlier for 20 people under the current restrictions”.  Restrictions for Covid are slowly easing with Museums opening to 20 people from the 12th of June. “We are reaching out to the community to donate $10 per household, it is fully tax deductible and you will receive a receipt to take to your accountant in June”. The Village will also welcome donations from the business sector or pre-purchased tickets for the opening for those families who cannot afford to donate. All being well the Village aims to have a grand reopening on the 20th of September 2020 for the reassembly of the big cow, if the restrictions allow at that time. “Highfields Pioneer Village is a huge supporter of your community, providing educational tours for your children, memory tours for your seniors, Aboriginal Culture Tours for International visitors and attracting over 38,000 tourists to your region annually, we know that everyone is feeling the pinch during Lockdown but it’s time to dig deep and give back”. If you are not in a position to donate... to pre-purchase tickets for the opening follow the link: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=626511&bof=1&ueo=1
Direct Deposit details for those people who want to donate cash at their local bank- [phone redacted]808 Heritage S21. Highfields Pioneer Village, Museum and Park Inc. Donations Acc. or you are welcome to drop the money into the Village if you do not wish to use the gofund me platform.
Volunteers making cups of tea for a the most recent school excursion at the Pioneer Village. Volunteers delivering a Fire Safety Talk during an Australia Day ceremony.  Children watching the Grand Parade during the Easter Vintage Festival.