A historic move

Editorial: Grant Condon

Photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

When moving to a new home, it’s almost guaranteed something’s going to be missing when the boxes are unpacked. It’s usually something small, like a remote control, a photo frame or a book.

But what do you do when your ‘home’ is in fact a museum and you’re moving more than 10,000 precious items that all play a part in telling the storied history of communities, policing and crime in Victoria?

That’s the daunting task the team behind the Victoria Police Museum faces as they prepare to move to the force’s new headquarters in Spencer Street, Melbourne.

Fortunately, a team of trained experts is putting every item of the extensive collection through a methodical and painstaking moving process to ensure all pieces make it to their new home.

The collection ranges from small rare medals and buttons, important books and documents, motion film, motorcycles and bomb suits, to almost every style of uniform and communication device ever used by Victoria Police.

Then there are the items that sit at the heart of some of the state’s most defining events, like two sets of armour belonging to the infamous Kelly Gang and the car used in the bombing of the Russell Street Police Headquarters.

The museum’s collection spans more than 13,000 individual physical objects, but when digital archives are considered, the number of items swells to more than 200,000.

Museum and Historical Services staff Silvi Kadillari and Jennifer McNair prepare some of the museum's 13,000 items for the big move.

“Because most of our collection is something one-off that can’t be replaced, we take great care with it,” Museum and Historical Services manager Laura Miles said.

“Victoria Police was established in 1853 so we have a lot of really old and fragile objects from that time.

“We assess each item before we pick it up, to see if it needs special cleaning and stabilisation. After that, we take measurements and photographs, and design special packaging ready to be moved into storage. This could range from small supports like padding and foam inserts up to custommade crates.

“It’s then packed and tracked so we know where it is every step of the way.”

The process will be worth it, though, with a state-of-the-art museum being built at the new Victoria Police Centre ahead of a 2021 opening.

“The new museum is on the street level so it’s a high-profile part of our new headquarters,” Ms Miles said.

“This space has given us freedom to design something really special and deeply engaging, both for employees and the public.

“There will be things to look at but also things our visitors can interact with, which will create a more dynamic and memorable experience.”

Before the new museum launches, a temporary display at the 311 Spencer Street police complex is on show.

Appropriately, it details the history of the force’s previous headquarters and features photographs and descriptions of key buildings alongside precision scale 3D models of the St Kilda Road Police Depot and Russell Street headquarters as they looked in the 1930s and 1950s – police cars and horses included.

Established in 1987 as a historical unit, the move is a significant step in the history of the Victoria Police Museum, which is one of fewer than 100 museums nationwide to be officially accredited.

“The museum holds items that are significant in some form or another as they offer a gateway to telling our stories as an organisation and placing those stories in the broader context of the Victorian community,” Ms Miles said.

“Along with material from major events, we hold objects from the everyday work police do.

“The day to day routines that might have seemed average way back in history are now viewed with fascination by our visitors.”