Geelong celebrated the people and projects dedicated to preserving and repurposing the region’s historical structures last week.
City of Greater Geelong hosted the Geelong Heritage Awards at Wurriki Nyal civic centre on 15 October, acknowledging excellence in the retention, restoration and reuse of heritage buildings at the well-attended event.
Among the eight winners were the Glass House (formerly the Pilkington Glass factory) in North Geelong and 66 Elizabeth Street, a 101-year-old brick shopfront in West Geelong, which were both recognised for Creative Reuse of a Heritage Place
Geelong Historical Society won the Heritage Interpretation and Promotion award for the transformation of its website into an accessible gateway into the city’s history and heritage.
PhD candidate Donya Masoomi Khameneh won the Next Generation award for her research in heritage perception in Geelong, while Geoff Saunders received the Jennifer Bantow OAM award for an architectural career in the region spanning nearly five decades.
Ms Bantow, a tireless advocate for Geelong’s heritage sites for many years, said the Heritage Awards were an opportunity to celebrate those striving to preserve the buildings and places that told the story of the city’s history.
“In the field of advocacy to conserve heritage places, I think this is the best event of the year because everyone is positive,” she said.
“Sometimes when you’re in a heritage conservation campaign, you’ve got objectors and demolition applications, but in this particular event, everybody’s happy because we’re recognising the owners of the places who have enjoyed conserving their heritage property.
“It’s good to have that recognition because people beaver away on their property not realising that, by doing so, they’re contributing to a much bigger picture in their heritage conservation of the city.
“All the (award) recipients have that love of history which brings about the understanding that you have to value the heritage from that history.”
Geelong Heritage Advisory Committee chair Councillor Rowan Story said the community was fortunate to have such a range of heritage places in Geelong.
“It was fantastic to see collaboration between builders, designers, tradespeople and architects demonstrated in exciting projects,” he said.
“These awards show how many groups, businesses and individuals are passionate about preserving our region’s heritage.”
