Canberra Museum and Gallery and the Canberra Raiders have put out a call for memorabilia, to help mark the NRL team's 40th anniversary.
Canberra Raiders: 40 Years in the Limelight is a specially curated exhibition that - along with a string of other events - will help mark the club's milestone.
"We're encouraging community involvement in this because the Raiders are a very proud community club. They're not just a football team. They're a big part of the community," Canberra Raiders media and digital manager Ben Pollack said.
"We've still got members of our club who have been supporters and members and attending games since those first games in 1982. There are people who have been to hundreds upon hundreds of Raiders games, both in Queanbeyan when we were at Seiffert Oval and also since we've moved over to Bruce.
"I think there was a famous quote, back in 1989, when the Raiders won their first premiership it gave Canberra a soul. So it's an opportunity for people to play on those emotions and put forward some things that they think might be worth being part of this exhibition."
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The idea was sparked by another of the capital's icons, closely linked to the club, Canberra Milk - which the museum had a successful exhibition for earlier this year. So successful in fact, that CMAG realised there was more of an appetite for social history than first thought.
"We really are one team town, and the Raiders not only have given us some of the city's highest highs and lowest lows, but they just do so much behind the scenes in the community," CMAG senior curator of social history Sharon Bulkeley said.
"They're constantly going out to schools and working with different charities and putting things up for auction to raise money, and they practice what they preach about being a part of the community. And so CMAG responds to that side of things."
So what sort of memorabilia is needed? Obviously, jerseys are the first thing that comes to mind - and a variety from over the years is going to help show not only how the colours and designs have changed over the years, but also how the team presented themselves overall.
However, the call out goes beyond the humble jersey. Flags, banners, posters, old tickets, homemade items, old photographs - if someone has a unique or unusual object, the team want to know about it.
"The things we're also looking for are objects that have great personal stories attached to them," Ms Bulkeley said.
"We've got one of the original 1982 jerseys that was bought by a fan that very first year, and he's kept it all that time and now his daughter wears it. So not only is it a significant object in being one of the first jerseys but it's got this really lovely sentimental story of a multi-generational passion."
- If you have something worth considering, send an image of your item(s), photo or story to reception@raiders.com.au with the subject heading CMAG Raiders Submission.
