Calling for help to unearth Bundaberg’s past

To prepare for the exhibition, BridgeWorx has contracted curator Trudie Leigo and researcher Delwyn Ainsworth who are reaching out to the community to request they share their memories, memorabilia and photographs of this much-loved entertainment space.

Trudie Leigo said the Wintergarden Theatre was originally opened in 1929 and operated as a Theatre and Cinema space through to 1968 which is the timeframe that is the focus for this exhibition.

“It was a popular and much-loved venue for live performances, recitals, social events and movie nights.” Ms Leigo said.

“It was a place where Bundaberg locals relished the opportunity to get dressed up for a night out.”

“We know many Bundaberg locals have memories of attending special events at the Wintergarden, as well as working there.”

“We are hoping people have photographs, programs and other memorabilia tucked away in their photo albums that they would like to share with us.”

Historical researcher Delwyn Ainsworth said the exhibition is a great opportunity to tell an important story about the social history of Bundaberg.

“While we’ve been able to track down some information and images from the theatre’s past, we know that it’s our community’s personal connection to the theatre that will unearth the most interesting information and objects,” Mrs Ainsworth said.

“We want the exhibition to be a wonderful way to reconnect the people of Bundaberg with a piece of their past, while opening the doors to an exciting new venture.”

BridgeWorx, a social enterprise initiative of Bridges Health & Community Care, will be activating the Wintergarden Forum as a centre for community and creative wellbeing, with a particular focus on performing arts and digital media which ties into the heritage of the building.

“We recently had a sold out show in the newly set up theatre space. We are looking forward to a more formal launch of the spaces and programs in line with this exhibition in our designated gallery space,” said CEO Sharon Sarah.

If anyone has photographs or memorabilia of the Wintergarden Theatre please contact Trudie Leigo on 0439 807 960 or leigotrudie@gmail.com to see if it might be suitable for the exhibition. There will be two sessions where the community can bring along their memorabilia to the project team to showcase what is in the community that might be used for the exhibition and to enable photographing, scanning and documenting of these objects. These sessions will be held at the Wintergarden Forum, 2 Maryborough Street, on Monday 28th April from 10am-12pm and Sunday 4th May from 11am-1pm.

This project has received funding from RADF. The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Bundaberg Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

Article Main Image: Recent gathering to discuss the exhibition at the Wintergarden (L-R: Jenni Miners and Shelley Pisani from the BridgeWorx team, Delwyn Ainsworth (Project Researcher), Trudie Leigo (Project Curator), Sharon Sarah CEO of Bridges Health & Community Care, Nick Page and Jann Edwards from the Bundaberg Regional Heritage Group and Di Wills from Bundaberg Players.