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The Reading Room (2pm in the Library for a start @ 10.30am – 12noon)

This volunteer run reading and discussion group meets monthly. It is anticipated that members will read the selected book prior to attendance.
If you would like to be a part of this group (free to BMI members) please complete the Expression of Interest. We welcome your feedback through this form as we progress this great new initiative. 
 
Expression of Interest to participate >

 

JULY SESSION

The discussion in July will not be on a pre-determined book but will be a readers choice format.

For more information go to

This event is a BMI Community Cultural Project – Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution

Rosemary’s Book of the Week

The Riviera Secret  Sarah Steele Nestled into the pine-dusted coastline of the Cap d’Antibes is the dazzling white Chateau Violette. When British diplomat Lord Sinclair Castlemere, his young Jewish wife Daisy and their four-year-old son move into the chateau in the summer of 1938, their home becomes a beacon for the glamorous expat set-rife with gossip about the Windsors, and everyone in denial about the grumblings across the border in Italy and northern Europe. But as Germany tightens its grip on

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Newsletter – February 2026

Rosemary’s New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks – Live Music – Public Talk – Film – Live Comedy – LIve Theatre | The digital version of the newsletter will be available here after 5.15pm today. The interactive PDF is available here.

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A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | February 2026

Happy New Year to all our members and other subscribers and recipients of our newsletter. We are off to a flying start with all services resuming in January.  Congratulations to all who won a prize in the Christmas raffle and thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket or two!   Our book sale continues through January, with many shoppers picking up a bargain. Please let others know of this opportunity, it would be wonderful to not have to pack

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Rosemary’s Book of the Week

The Piano Woman Rozzi Bazzani Reeling from the breakup of her ‘forever’ romance, writer Maddison Brown is trying to rebuild her life and get her successful career back on track. But when a letter arrives from an English lawyer telling her that she is to inherit a piano from a great grandmother she didn’t know exhisted, everything she’d ever believed about her life is turned upside down. Travelling to Kent to explore this unknown connection Maddison is forced to use all her

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ABC Radio interview with BMI Heritage Collection Curator Ellen Becker

From the Heritage Collection Curator – Interview with ABC Radio Sydney | Nightlife – Tuesday 23 Dec 2025 at 10pm The Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute, or BMI, is celebrating 165 years since its reading room first opened in December 1860. It’s the oldest surviving cultural institution in Ballarat and has an incredible story. From hosting Mark Twain, screening some of Australia’s earliest films, to inspiring inventors like Henry Sutton. Joining Nic Healey on Nightlife to share the rich history of this

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Jerry Wong Piano recital | Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute

Jerry Wong Concert review by Bronislaw Sozanski… As part of the Ballarat Organs and Fine Music Festival this January, Jerry Wong delivered an outstanding recital, performing on the historic 1913 Bechstein piano at the Ballarat Mechanics Institute. The natural contrasts of dark and light in the human experience formed the basis of the program, supported by an instrument from a time when pianos displayed greater variety of timbre across their range. The Godowsky transcription of JS Bach’s Andante from the

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