Only last weekend, Latrobe Valley organised their own take on a Maltese festa and now, Maltese expats are taking their love for the islands a step further through the opening of a museum celebrating everything Maltese!
The Latrobe Valley Museum is the brainchild of Mario Sammut, a Maltese migrant living in Australia for the past 35 years: “The dream was to preserve the Maltese culture and identity while assimilating within the Australian community. It was just a dream, but over the years it became more evident that other Maltese migrants shared the same dream and determination to preserve their culture,” the museum’s Facebook page description read.
The post reveals a touching offer by artist Charlie Camilleri, who had already lent his miniature models to Mario for an earlier exhibit: "his time he was willing to donate the exhibits to the Maltese Community Centre if Mario promised that one day these will be fully restored and permanently displayed in a Museum," the post read.
Plans for the museum where implemented in 2018, with various activities organised to help raise funds for it. The museum, which takes the place of Morwell’s old pigeon club, took a lot of effort to purchase and restore: “An incredible amount of hard work has gone into transforming a delapidated pigeon club building into a home for Maltese history,” a thread on the museum’s official Facebook page read. Indeed, it took the Maltese community two years to bring their dream to fruition.
Unfortunately, Charlie passed away before the project was completed, but the promise made to him was nevertheless fulfilled. Apart from Charlie's 15 impressive miniature models of important Maltese buildings, the museum also boasts a selection of Maltese artefacts and historical objects, some of which were donated by the family of the late Mr Frank Consiglio, the first Consul General for Malta in Victoria.
The Latrobe Valley Maltese Museum opens on Sundays between 11am and 4pm and visitors travelling from far away are encouraged to contact the museum to ensure it will be open on the day.
What a beautiful idea!