Years of water damage has sadly destroyed the contents of the Huon Valley schools millennium time capsule, which was dug up last week after spending 20 years buried in the Huonville Esplanade.
Council had been excited to share the contents of the time capsule with the community and local schools, with a newspaper article from 7 December 2000 reporting that it contained ‘visions of 2020’ by students from ten Huon Valley schools.
In advance of a small opening event planned with the schools, Council opened the capsule to check the state of the contents inside. Unfortunately, one side of the capsule was not watertight, meaning that numerous floods in the time that it was buried – and its riverside location – have led to the destruction of the objects inside.
Despite heavy damage, a fabric map of the Sacred Heart School Geeveston school grounds has been identified, as well as school jumpers from Huonville High School and Franklin Primary School. Year books, photos, videos and stories were also included from various schools.
Some stories which were filed in plastic folders are still legible, however all the contents is still deemed a health hazard due to the water damage, so cannot be handled.
Council is taking archival photos of the contents to share with local schools and our social media account.
We are saddened at this lost opportunity to share some precious pieces of the past with our school communities of today.
Instead, we invite our community to reflect on the past 20 years – what are the biggest changes you’ve seen? Are they what you expected? We have endured significant natural disasters, and bounced back every time to become the vibrant, caring and passionate community we are today.
Council staff assessing the fabric map of the Sacred Heart School Geeveston school grounds
If you have any memories, records or photos from when the time capsule was put together in the year 2000, we would love to hear from you. Please call us on (03) 6264 0300 or email hvc@huonvalley.tas.gov.au.