The Old Sunbury Courthouse is set to enshrine Sunbury’s status as the birthplace of The Ashes, with Hume City Council endorsing a decision to appoint the Sunbury Historical and Heritage Society as tenants of the site.
Mayor of Hume City, Councillor Carly Moore said the Sunbury Historical and Heritage Society’s proposal to establish a museum focused on the history of The Ashes was a perfect fit for the Old Sunbury Courthouse, given the building’s extensive link to the history of Sunbury.
“With the relocation of the Sunbury Visitor Information Centre into the Hume Global Learning Centre – Sunbury, ongoing community use of the Old Sunbury Courthouse has been a significant focus for Council,” Cr Moore said.
“To ensure the building has an important purpose going forward, Council undertook an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, as well as consulting with the community extensively.
“The overall process indicated that a museum dedicated to showcasing cricket presented a fantastic opportunity to continue use of the much-loved Old Sunbury Courthouse.
“Not only will it see best use of a much-loved historical building, it will also further put Sunbury on the map, cementing its status as the birthplace of The Ashes and adding to the list of places to discover in Hume.”
Councillor Moore said that it was pleasing to see that the EOI process had received a total of seven applications from local organisations interested in occupying the site.
“Following an assessment process, Council shortlisted two preferred applicants, the Sunbury Historical and Heritage Society and the Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation and undertook an investigation to see if both organisations could be co-located at the Old Sunbury Courthouse,” Cr Moore said.
“Independent advice recommended that a co-shared agreement would not be the best outcome. Council will assist the Sunbury Aboriginal Corporation to identify alternative sites within Sunbury where they could operate their services.”
Built in 1885, the Old Sunbury Courthouse is one of Sunbury’s earliest public buildings that still stands today and was originally commissioned as the local courthouse.
