Ipswich’s online photographic website Picture Ipswich has been given a boost thanks to a State Government grant.
Ipswich City Council Tourism and Libraries Committee Chairperson Councillor David Pahlke said council had been pleased to learn that it would be provided with a $5000 grant for Ipswich Libraries from the State Library of Queensland.
Cr Pahlke said the grant would allow the digitising of photographs and memorabilia received from donors and community groups recording Ipswich during the era of World War I to World War II.
He said Ipswich was one of five local councils to receive funding under the From Selection to Discovery grant.
The other successful grant applicants were the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, Flinders Shire Council, Somerset Regional Council and Townsville Regional Council.
“We thank the State Government for making this funding available for Picture Ipswich.
“Currently we have approximately 350 photographs received from donors that will be incorporated into the project and we have also obtained photographs and memorabilia from the Ipswich Sub-Branch of the RSL.”
The project will be completed by the end of August.
Cr Pahlke said Picture Ipswich had a unique position in capturing the history of Ipswich and was already known by the wider community as an important tool for both research and retaining their history.
“Within this centenary year of the action at Gallipoli, there is a strong sense of history being shown by the community and by participating in the From Selection to Discovery project, local memorabilia and images otherwise unseen can be incorporated into the larger history of the war.”
Cr Pahlke said Picture Ipswich was being carefully built by the library staff and the community into a wonderful historical resource for future generations.
“It has grown considerably since it was launched in 2008 to contain more than 11,000 images on a variety of topics including photographs, oral histories, historical documents, films and much more.”
