The RAAF Room: A Hawkesbury Cabinet of Curiosity

Howe House is currently open for group bookings only. We apologise for any inconvenience.

2012 – present

In 1988, staff from Hawkesbury Historical Society and RAAF Base Richmond worked together on a display dedicated to the history of the Royal Australian Air Force in the area. The display was mounted in this room, which was renamed the RAAF Room in its honour.

The RAAF Room display was removed in 2006 in preparation for conservation work being performed on Howe House, and it was anticipated that it would be replaced after the work was completed. However, due to its significance to the region and popularity amongst the local community and visitors, it was installed as a permanent RAAF display in the new Hawkesbury Regional Museum building.

Today, the RAAF Room houses furniture and other items from the Hawkesbury Historical Society collection that are too large to keep in the Hawkesbury Regional Museum collection store. Most of the smaller items were originally part of the collection but have been de-accessioned and retained for their ability to tell us about the past. De-accessioning is a museum process where an item is formally removed from a collection due to repetition, poor condition, or lack of provenance (information about its origin or use). This process always occurs under strict guidelines, and in this case, only with the agreement of the Hawkesbury Historical Society.

We know little or nothing about some of the items in this room. If you have any details, we’d love to hear from you! Speak to your guide or the staff in Hawkesbury Regional Museum who can help you fill in an object information sheet.

Page ID: 106308