Here one day, gone the next

Here one day, gone the next

I recently began writing a short article on the loss of historical artefacts for the journal of the National Museum of Labour

The loss of the Launceston Trades Hall mural struck me as an excellent example of a recently lost artefact. If a mural the size of a barn door can be lost in a little under twenty years how easy is it to lose a badge, a photograph or a minute’s book?

What did not occur to me as I began my research was just how lost the mural really is. I contacted the Launceston Trades Hall and asked for a photograph they didn’t have one, I contacted the Launceston Examiner their copies of the papers for a significant part of the 1980’s have been lost. Acting on the advice of the Examiner I tried the Launceston Public Library where they did have all the Examiner’s on microfiche again there was a problem they were the Hobart edition and despite the fact that the mural was opened by the then President of the ACTU (August 12th 1984) the Hobart edition did not carry the story.

It would be nice to think that somewhere out there amongst the readers and contributors to Tas Times there is someone who has a photograph of the mural. If someone does have a picture or one of the postcards of the mural would you please allow me to use it to illustrate my article? Pictures or cards can be sent to the editor TT who has agreed to pass them on to me. My deadline for the next edition is Friday 10th June 20011.