The National History Challenge is a research-based competition for students in Years 5 to 12.

The National Museum of Australia is a sponsor of this exciting competition, which encourages students to learn the skills of a historian by using research and inquiry-based learning to investigate the past.

The theme for the 2010 Challenge is Celebrations, Memories and History, and the National Museum invites students to explore the theme by creating a museum display akin to those in our Eternity gallery. This special category of the Challenge is called From here to eternity: exploring celebrations, memories and history through a museum display.

About the Eternity gallery

The Eternity gallery is a glimpse into Australia's past, present and future through the lives, emotions and experiences of its people.

The gallery is based on 10 emotional themes that speak to people's real experiences. These themes of Joy, Hope, Passion, Mystery, Thrill, Loneliness, Fear, Devotion, Separation and Chance provide a new angle on Australian history. Each theme features five stories, and each story is anchored by one significant object. Innovative multimedia techniques are used to tell the wider story.

Eternity shows how people deal with experiences such as war, discrimination, personal tragedy and isolation. Stories range from losing a loved one to facing death, spiritual devotion, sporting triumph, missing one's homeland and appreciating the little things in life. You can read some Eternity stories online.

In this special category of the National History Challenge we invite you to develop a museum display that celebrates or remembers something or someone in Australian social history. You can do this by telling the story of an event or action relating to a person in Australian history using one of the ten themes of the Museum's Eternity gallery.

Devotion: Jack Lamont's story showing face banner, significant object and label. Photo: Lannon Harley.

To create your display

First, choose a person in Australian history who interests you. It doesn't have to be someone famous and it could even be someone from your family or local area.

Next, think about an event or action in their lives that relates to celebrations and memories.

Then, decide which of the ten emotion themes your person's event or action relates to best.

We'd like you to follow a similar format to the Eternity gallery when you create your museum display. You can use all or most of the same elements that can be found in each story in the gallery. These elements are:

• a face banner (image of the person) including the date of birth and date of death (where relevant)
• one or more significant objects (related to the person)
• object labels including a personal quote
• one map showing where in Australia the event or action occurred
• personal quotes which tell the story
• photographs to accompany and illustrate the quotes
• One 2 to 3 minute audio or video (optional)

Inspiration

Find inspiration for your museum display challenge by exploring the following National Museum of Australia resources:

• Eternity gallery — see it in person or online
  
• schools resource — Using the Eternity exhibition to develop analytical skills
  
• article on the UNESCO website about the Eternity gallery — 'The responsible use of memory in museums' (PDF 160kb)

It might also be useful to participate in our Education programs (PDF 883kb) — see especially:

• Investigating Sources
• Interpreting the Museum

Research

In researching the topic and developing your museum display, talk with your family and friends about that special story you might choose relating to the theme From here to eternity: exploring celebrations, memories and history.

Conduct research to discover how the stories, images or objects fit into the broader themes and story of Australia. Your local or regional museum or library might be a useful resource. The National Archives of Australia, National Film and Sound Archive and National Library of Australia might also be valuable sources of information including audio and video.

Visit the National Museum of Australia in Canberra or online to discover many more stories of Australia's history, including those of the Eternity gallery.

Checklist

Here is a useful checklist for you to consider as you develop your museum display:

• Link your story to the emotion through a creative title such as 'Peter Cundall and the joy of gardening' or 'Nancy Bird and the thrill of flying'.
• Ensure your display is supported by historical research.
• Use the voice of the person whose story you are telling or those of other people who knew the person – quote them.
• Use relevant and appropriate labels to support the evidence. Consider the length of your labels and how much text your audience will read.
• Consider how the design of your museum display might enhance the presentation of the story – for example, would audio or video bring it to life, or are they unnecessary?
• Make sure the language and style of your display remains consistent.
• Check that all objects, images and video/audio are sourced and accredited; for example: Joe Donovan – 1974 Commonwealth Games jacket, National Museum of Australia.

Once you have created your museum display, the final step is to write a statement explaining how your story links to the theme From here to eternity: exploring celebrations, memories and history. Tell us why the story is significant to you and other Australians. For example, does it reflect certain values or attitudes? Or did it help to change the way we think about an issue?

For details of how to submit your entry to the 2010 National History Challenge, see the National History Challenge website (www.historychallenge.com.au).

For more information contact:

Claudette Bateup
National Museum National History Challenge Coordinator
National Museum of Australia
Education Section
Ph: 02 6208 5201
Fax: 02 6208 5198
Email: education@nma.gov.au

National Museum of Australia
Education Section
GPO Box 1901
Canberra ACT 2601

www.nma.gov.au/education

National History Challenge website: www.historychallenge.com.au