Shepparton Heritage Centre executive officer Kristy Rudd is baffled as to what happened to the contents of the time capsule sometime in the past 25 years.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
In a storyline more mysterious than the writers of Scooby-Doo could manage, the contents of the Shepparton Heritage Centre time capsule are missing.
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As staff moved to loosen the bolts on the time capsule, which was supposedly sealed 25 years ago, ahead of its planned opening on August 2, the seal fell off, exposing the bare interior of the capsule.
Shocked staff were left scratching their heads as they faced the urgent task of cancelling the advertised event that was set for the day after, before pulling out their metaphorical magnifying glasses for investigation.
After days of chatting with the remaining committee members from the 2000 era for clues, the mystery persists.
Executive officer Kristy Rudd said an incident like this showed why the recent restructuring of the Shepparton Heritage Centre’s operations was needed.
“This really highlights why it’s so important for the centre to run as a not-for-profit organisation,” Mrs Rudd said.
“For the governance, structure and the strategic plan we’ve put into place.”
As baffled as the rest of us, yet apologetic, though they weren’t involved 25 years ago, current board members, staff and volunteers are now facing unpredictable reactions from those who were awaiting their message retrieval.
Some 70 slips Mrs Rudd had believed were intended for inclusion in the time capsule but had missed the deadline were found in a box among other items at the museum a couple of years ago.
The 70 message slips that were located a couple of years ago.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
A woman phoned the centre last Christmas to inquire about when the time capsule would be opened, after her late grandfather had told her before he passed that he had left a message for her in it.
Her grandfather’s slip was located among the 70.
While it offers hope to contributors, Mrs Rudd said records showed more than 500 slips were sold; however, she is now questioning whether that was the case.
The centre still plans to fill the capsule with fresh entries and reseal it for another 25 years, but, rather than inviting community contributions, this time it will be filled with Shepparton-specific history curated by the centre.
Mrs Rudd said the physical entries would have a digital counterpart, allowing them to be uploaded to the cloud for extra protection of the precious memories.
If you had a submission to the 2000 time capsule or you believe a family member did, contact the Shepparton Heritage Centre on 4831 8659 or via email to info@sheppartonheritage.com.au
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