Members of the Executive Group, Arts Executive, Museum members, staff and special guests came together for the significant occasion, with the Vice-Chancellor stressing the importance of our engagement with history and the critical role a museum such as this plays in this context.

“A museum like this makes tangible ­connections to history that are easy to see, touch and feel,” explained Professor Dowton.

“My congratulations to all involved, to Martina, and to the team which reimagined this entire complex and designed this wonderful Museum.”

Exclusively open to Macquarie staff and students at this stage, the Museum is home to more than 18,000 artefacts which span a period of about 5000 years.

“As you can imagine this is a very exciting day for the Faculty of Arts, with staff and students now able to come in freely and enjoy the artefacts,” said Professor Möllering.

One collection sure to excite visitors is the temporary exhibition, East meets West – the Crusades and the Age of Decolonisation, which Museum Director Professor Martin Bommas unveiled at the soft opening.

For this exhibition, select objects from the Museum’s own collection join treasures on loan from private collectors to tell a story of a turbulent and defining era in human history.

“After the crusades had raged for 206 years, the world had changed,” says Professor Bommas. “Europeans had had enough of Vatican rule and started establishing monarchies; new political ideas were coming up and people were connected by trade; Arabic literature was influencing the West and Western architecture was slowly being introduced through the east.

“So, the whole world came together and people grew together, but it was only for a very short period of time, 45 years, because then the Black Death came.”

The Museum is open Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm, and is located on the ground floor of 25C Wally’s Walk. Swipe your MQ staff/student card to enter and sign in with the QR code. Every Monday at 2pm, except for public or University holidays, the Museum offers one-hour guided tours, no pre-bookings required.

Field Service postcard, 6 August 1915
This WWI Field Service postcard is from an Australian soldier (Jim) to his relative Mr J Chandler of Chatswood, NSW. This type of postcard represents the level of censorship imposed on, and lack of communication available to, soldiers in war. It also represents how stressful it must have been for loved-ones still at home. The back of the postcard allows soldiers a multiple-choice approach to what information they can share, for example ‘I am quite well’, ‘I have been admitted to hospital’, and so on. If the person wrote anything of their own, then the card would be destroyed.

Warrant Officer Falconer’s diary, 25 June 1915 ­– 6 February 1917
The diary entries cover Officer Falconer’s time on active service in the Middle East and Europe (France and Belgium) with the 5^th Field Artillery Brigade, 2^nd Div. AIF, from November 1915 to July 1917. Some entries are incredibly de-sensitised to things like death and horrible conditions, despite which, the handwriting and illustrations are incredibly beautiful and neat.

Book: Humorosities by an Australian Soldier by Cecil Hartt
A book of cartoons by Anzac soldier Cecil Hartt. This collection is a fantastic representation of Aussie humour in the face of horrific situations. Hartt also contributed cartoons to The Bulletin, a popular Sydney newspaper before WWI.

ANZAC medal: Simpson and Donkey, issued 1965
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Gallipoli Landing, the ANZAC medal was issued to surviving veterans or their next of kin. It was designed by Australian sculptor Raymond Ewers. This Anzac medal was awarded to veteran J Emanuel.

Condolence letter, 10 June 1917
A four-page letter from “in the field” 10 June 1917 to Mr and Mrs McGregor regarding the death of their son Staff Sergeant JH McGregor (aka “Little Mac”). The letter was written by his commanding officer  Lieutenant Kenneth Brock, who noted that though he was “small of stature, he was large of heart”. The Museum also holds several transcribed diary pages from JH McGregor in the collection.

Collection of WWI cigarette cards
The museum holds a large collection of collectable cigarette cards from the WWI period, of particular interest are those displaying popular recruitment posters to encourage enlistment. These cards help to represent the totality of war within everyday society/activities at the time.

Visit the Australian History Museum at Macquarie University.
Y2 Museum Building, 13 Hadenfield Avenue
Monday-Thursday: 8am-4pm
Friday: 8am-1pm
Saturday-Sunday: By appointment

Opening hours are subject to change without notice and staff are encouraged to book in their visit by contacting Jane via email (jane.thogersen@mq.edu.au) or 9850 8870.