Welcome to another jam packed Newsletter! I hope some of you have been able to attend the first couple of Twilight Talks for the year on April 15 featuring Hedley Thomson and April 22nd with Amethyst May & Gary Snowden as a duo. These events were very well attended, thanks to our speakers for entertaining and educating in this series, thanks to Community Bank Buninyong for their sponsorship again this year and our Patron Phil Roberts for his efforts in programming year after year.
The Twilight Talk program for 2026 is once again looking rich and varied, these very affordable talks are a great way to come together as you support the BMI, don’t forget to tell all your friends! The final two talks in this series will take place on April 29 and May 6, details below.
Author Talks | Library Events
Author talks continue bringing diversity in both authors and audiences.
These talks are also very affordable and a great way to meet new literature lovers, as attendees are often outside of our core membership group. Rosemary’s great work in this area continues to delight and assists to secure new members. We are steadily increasing our membership by between 10 and 20 new members per month which is great news – this is largely due to the customer service and initial positive visitor experience that Rosemary provides. Our membership has grown from 500 to 570 since June 2025!
Alongside our own author talks, we are in the final stages of securing another Stella Day Out for the BMI, we hope to announce a date in November very shortly. The Stella Day Out brings additional award winning authors to the BMI and provides an opportunity for us to showcase the building and our membership to the Stella authors and their followers.
BMI Board
We are delighted to welcome Jennifer Fink to our Board. Jen will join the Board officially in May and brings strong skills and expertise in the area of Libraries and Collections and has in fact assisted us through her work at the Ballarat Public Library in the past where she held management roles for over 10 years.
We look forward to her input and thank her for her willingness to assist the BMI in this way.
The Board of the BMI is at capacity once again with the maximum number of seats occupied. So as the Chair I have 8 very professional, generous and active Board Members whose skills and expertise come together to assist the Executive Manager, staff and volunteers to oversee and manage this important cultural institution.
The sub committees are the instruments for much of this work and are: Building (Chaired by Jane Valpied – Vice Chair), Collections (Chaired by myself), Finance (Chaired by Treasurer Edward Petrie) and Fundraising and Appeals (Chaired by Malcolm Roberts).
The remainder of the Board consists of Ben Schier, Leigh Eriksen, Jennifer Doolan, Chris Hutton (Secretary) and shortly, Jennifer Fink.
Give Now
With the end of our Financial Year looming (April 30), I once again encourage you to consider a donation to the BMI through our website or direct credit – details also on our website.
Budget
Our budgeting process is finalised for 2026 – 2027 year and we look forward to the opportunities and challenges that will see us continue to provide our Library and membership services.
This process also help us enhance our offering as a tourist destination including participation in local festivals and an increase in scheduled tours (including the development of a school tour program).
National Trust | Sovereign Hill – Heritage Collection Curator
During April and through our Curator Ellen Becker, we were able to host a small delegation from the National Trust who enjoyed a tour of the BMI as part of a visit to Ballarat. These representatives are staff from Old Melbourne Gaol, the Polly Woodside and Pentridge Coburg and were most interested in the history and current activity at the BMI.
Ellen also continued her outward facing program with a talk at Sovereign Hill in March. Many of you might know that as part of the Main Road section of Sovereign Hill there is a Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute building and exhibition. Ellen was able to invite volunteers and staff to encourage visitors to Sovereign Hill to pop into the “real” BMI during their visit to Ballarat to enhance their understanding of the history of the BMI and its current activities.
Artworks Conservation
And in other very exciting news, the two artworks being conserved through a grant from the Copland Foundation have been returned to the BMI.
The conservation work undertaken by Grimwade Conservation is remarkable and we look forward to hanging these works in the Institute. Here are the photos of what you can expect to see on the walls shortly. We would like to thank Copland and Grimwade for the amazing investment and all the work involved to bring these works back to life.
Ballarat Heritage Festival – Volunteers
As we lead up to the Ballarat Heritage Festival we are seeking additional volunteers to support access to the BMI by visitors to the festival from May 21-24. Please let us know if you would like to help. We are very excited to be hosting Lantern Vaults, a project led by Amanda Western in collaboration with Zlatko Balazic and Tabitha Rickard, also featured on the cover of this newsletter. Please see our website for more details, but this promises to be a unique and rewarding experience in many ways. Transforming our basement and featuring the work of three talented artists, I encourage you to get your free tickets ASAP!
Enjoy May and all it has to offer at the BMI and once again, please share this newsletter and other BMI information with friends and family so that we might expand our reach and in turn provide a path of genuine connection for many more as we continue to welcome folks into the BMI family as we have done for 166 years.
Our Vision
To promote an inclusive and diverse community. This is achieved through sharing knowledge, providing a unique place to engage with history, and a vibrant hub for community events.
