Christine McClelland fell in love with ancient worlds reading the National Geographic magazines her parents subscribed to.

Regrettably, she never had the opportunity to follow her interest in archaeology. But after living in Armidale for 40 years, she finally found a way to scratch this lifelong itch – by volunteering at the UNE Museum of Antiquities (UNEMA).

“Living in Armidale, of course I’d heard of the museum,” Christine said. “But I didn’t really know anything about it. One day my son, Mark, a carpenter at UNE, mentioned the museum. I said, ‘Oh, I’d give anything in the work somewhere like that!’ Next thing, I received a phone call from the curator, Dr Bronwyn Hopwood, inviting me to volunteer!”

Volunteering since 2024, she’s still pinching herself.

“I never thought something like this would be possible!”

Having no background working with artefacts or in museums, everything has been a learning experience. But the many hours of work of volunteers like Christine has made it possible to reopen a bigger and better museum experience for all.

“The work has included going through the artefacts, cataloguing, labelling and selecting items for the museum. There are up to five of us in here on a Thursday.

“I’ve loved everything about volunteering … I’ve loved the environment, I’ve loved the opportunity to learn and ask questions, it creates interesting conversations.

“The first object I handled, I was so excited to have the opportunity to handle something so old, and be able to feel, touch and handle something that would have been used in everyday life 2,500 years ago.

“My love for ancient history started with Egypt and Tutankhamen. But there are so many beautiful pieces here I love, I am in awe of how amazing people were 2,500 years ago who were creating such beautiful everyday objects for their households just for survival.”

Christine hopes many others will be able to come and enjoy the refurbished museum.

“I think it’s the only museum of its kind in rural Australia, it’s very accessible with an assortment of items. The space is wonderful, everything is beautifully displayed and it’s freely available for the public.”