ALMOST $2 million was invested through the Sunshine Coast Heritage Levy last year including $135,000 towards the historic Bankfoot House and Landsborough Museum.
The figures were revealed in the 2021/22 Sunshine Coast Heritage Levy annual report, which was released last week.
The Levy was created to fund the discovery, interpretation, preservation and promotion of the Hinterland’s history and culture.
Some of those items preserved through the funding include a watch chain entirely plaited from human hair and an inkwell made from the dismembered foot of a favourite pony.
Ratepayers currently pay $16 per household annually to fund the levy.
Sunshine Coast Coordinator Cultural Heritage Services, Peter Connell, said the Bankfoot House collection provided a “seemingly never-ending resource from which to discover the insights into the Glass House Mountains and surrounds”.
“The donation of more than 14,000 items from the Landsborough and District Historical Society in November 2021, including the watch band and inkwell, is keeping heritage staff and volunteers busy assessing, cataloguing and fact checking the information associated with each of these objects.
Some $20,000 was funded towards the inaugural Historian in Residence program, with two research topics mapping First Nations sites as well as sporting history since 1901.
“The Levy made the inaugural Historian in Residence program possible, enabling two professional historians to take a deep dive into (these) local research topics,” Division 1 Councillor Rick Baberowski said.
Dr Ray Kerkhove made a host of First Nations discoveries around Bankfoot House by examining the documents, assets and artefacts the Levy preserves.
Main image: Landsborough Museum volunteer Grame Goss
