Hume council has committed to preserving and celebrating Broadmeadows’ civic history, with two historic honour boards to go on permanent display.
At council’s meeting on Monday, September 8, councillors endorsed plans to display the Shire of Broadmeadows World War I honour board and the City of Broadmeadows mayoral honour board in the foyer of Town Hall Broadmeadows.
The move follows a notice of motion raised by cr Naim Kurt in May, calling for a full audit of the city’s civic collection.
The WWI honour board, which lists Broadmeadows residents who served, is currently stored in council’s heritage facility in Sunbury.
The board has a weight of 60 kilograms and requires a wall/display infrastructure capable of carrying such a load before it can be exhibited.
The Broadmeadows Historical Society has expressed interest in displaying the board at its museum, but councillors have favoured the town hall as the most accessible civic site.
The mayoral honour board, which records the City of Broadmeadows’ mayors between 1955 and 1995, will undergo conservation treatment between 2025 and 2026 before being installed in the same location.
Council also noted officers are expected to search for a missing Broadmeadows Roads District honour board, which the location of is unknown, during the planned civic collection audit between 2025 and 2026.
The audit will assess honour boards, mayoral portraits, artworks, civic gifts, plaques, historic agendas, minutes, and public art across Hume, with findings to be reported back next year.
“I think this council and community have a really close relationship with that story from the first world war and part of that story is in developing this council chamber,” Cr Kurt said.
Further initiatives like digitalisation, community talks and a volunteer drive are also planned to be rolled out to improve access to the civic collection.
Council is considering future budget allocations to expand the collection and support digital storytelling projects.
