MISSION FROM MELBOURNE

Our Museum receives many interesting visits but this story is about a special visitor from Melbourne. His name is Paul Lynch, aged 85 and lives south of the border. He has donated some printing pieces previously but he thought this time I want to visit the Penrith Museum of Printing. He rang us and asked what day he could visit and bring a few objects to donate. We settled on a date and he started to get himself organised. With a backpack filled with his travelling gear and a suitcase on wheels for the museum stuff he started his journey.

A full day on the train to arrive in Sydney, staying overnight and then another train out to Penrith he arrived mid morning.

We could not believe this elderly gentleman carried the weight he did when he opened his case and presented the contents to us. The picture does not do the fonts and lino matrixes justice. They were all in perfect condition.

As well he had a large plastic bag full of literature and certificates he had acquired throughout his career.He was fascinated with the whole Museum and said the trip was well worth the effort. We were extremely grateful that he decided to donate this fantastic material to us.

The visit lasted a couple of hours before he had to depart to head back to Melbourne.

A very knowledgeable man in the Letterpress printing industry and a lovely visitor to boot.

We put him back on a train to Sydney to wait for his connection.

Thanks to Paul his donation is already being displayed and shown by members to the public.

The Museum has been popular lately with a return to normal seeing us all venturing out. Tours through the week, and Sunday attendances up during May/June.

So if you're looking for something different, book a tour for your group now, the comments from our tours attendees are that the Museum exceeded expectations in information and the main surprise, it being live and NOT just a static display. 

Even our oldest Press, the Columbian manufactured in 1841 in the UK and after arriving in Australia being carried by Bullock train across the Blue Mountains to Carcoar to print the Carcoar Chronicle until 1939, is demonstrated for our guests.

PROBUS Clubs are one of our most regular groups along with various other groups like car clubs, church groups and community groups.

The Museum holds courses in various aspects of the printing process, see our website for more details. Learn the age-old art of setting type word by word, which was the way from 1450 to the late 1880's when the machines could set a line at a time, you can see this live. Learn to print and also join a poster course and utilise our vast array of wooden type.

This visit can take you 30 minutes or several hours as you work through the fascinating history of the printed word.