A Time Capsule buried in Margaret Timpson Park to commemorate the Centenary of Federation in 2001 has been unearthed by a team from Territory and Municipal Services, Belconnen Community Service and Belconnen Community Council.
Left to right: Gabrielle Evans (TAMS) Dira Horne (CEO BCS), Brian Bathgate (TAMS) , Francesco Mazzoli (TAMS) and Jane Carder (TAMS) holding up a banner retrieved from the Time Capsule.
Brian Rynehart from Belconnen Community Service actually remembers when the capsule, two PVC pipe cylinders, was buried but since he came late to the ceremony he never knew what was underneath, only remembering that “lots of children and Bill Stefaniak [MLA for Ginninderra].”
plaque in Margaret Timpson Park
The capsule, marked with a plaque in Margaret Timpson Park, has attracted the interest of Belconnen locals. In 2014, a team from BCS attempted the dig but were thwarted by large, heavy concrete blocks buried beneath the plaque. Then Belconnen Community Service made contact with Brian Bathgate, TAMS Operations Manager for open space in Canberra’s north region, who soon scheduled a team to tackle the heavy task.
Dira Horne (BCS CEO) Damien Haas (Belconnen Community Council and Brian Bathgate (TAMS) with the freshly unearthed time capsule
Alas, when the first of the two cylinders was opened, the contents were found to be water damaged, the soggy remnants of disintegrating photos, papers and video tapes being all that remained. But the second cylinder was intact, containing T-shirts, photos, video material and a large colourful banner which, by the accompanying photos appeared to have been painted by school children. One of the video tapes was labelled as being footage from Daramalan College’s 2001 production of “Romeo and Juliet”.
Joe Woodward, performing arts coordinator at Daramalan and “CityNews” Theatre Reviewer, later said he had shot the video himself but had no idea how it came to be in the Time Capsule. BCS is yet to attempt to play the video but Woodward remembers the show as being, “dark and gothic with lots of sword fighting.” They were mad keen sword fighters. I don’t know if you’d get away with that today.”
Contents of the Time Capsule will be displayed in Belconnen Community Centre as part of BCS’s 40th birthday celebrations on Tuesday November 10.
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