KEEPING the memory of Australia's pioneers alive and inspiring new generations with their stories is what drives Rosemary Champion as she works to recruit new members to the Queensland branch of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.
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Invitations are already being planned for Australia-wide distribution to a Silver Anniversary Ball on the October long weekend, which Rosemary said would be "memorable, fun and historic".
It's one of a string of events planned to acknowledge the contribution the national museum has made to promoting Australia's rural heritage in the past 25 years.
Also in the diary is a cake cutting on the day the Hall was opened, April 29, an open day on May 4 to coincide with the annual Drovers' Reunion, a showcase of horsemanship skills at an Outback Horse and Heritage Expo in Longreach in July, and a lunch in Brisbane during the Ekka.
The Hall of Fame was criticised at the start of the year for closing its doors to tourists for six weeks as a cost-saving measure, but Rosemary said it had given board members a chance to sit back and take on a sense of renewal.
"There's lots of new things happening this year - a new chef at the Cattlemen's Bar and Grill, extensions to the Woolbale Cafe, an RB Sellars exclusive shop, new displays on the way - we are certainly always thinking of what we can do," she said.
She is keen to get more young urban people to the Hall to engage with stories from Australia's past.
Rosemary will be making full use of modern networking methods including Facebook and Twitter to get the messages out there.
"You're now seeing a younger generation starting to come to our Drovers' Reunions - the sons and daughters of those people - they are very proud of the achievements of the past, and I think everyone can be, given the chance to know about them.
"It's important that we keep the memories alive and young people are the way to do that.
"We need the wisdom of those who had the original vision and the energy of the youth to carry us forward."
Curator David Masel is going to be on hand throughout the May 4 open day to record people's memories of the opening of the Hall and stories about its development in order to preserve them in the archives.
