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Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum

About us LSAFM was established in 1996 to showcase the significant contribution made by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory since its commencement in June 1912. The Museum is community based and its operations are overseen by a volunteer-based Management Committee. The Museum is one of the unique cultural institutions in Australia and globally. Operating on the existing site where the Factory started, we present the rich history of the Factory and its indelible imprint on Australian society and Australian manufacturing. Our direction The long-term goal of the Museum is to become a sustainable entity, in part driven by paid staff. The Museum will continue to remain community based, with volunteer support. We are looking to expand our site footprint and with this will come new exhibits, new services, new events, enhanced physical presence and increased visitations. What we have The Museum has one of the finest collections in the world: a) Over 2500 historical firearms of various ages, makes and configurations are owned by the Museum. They range from Factory made rifles and machine guns, the Hayes collection of handguns, and many and various overseas makes. b) A vast array of commercial and other military products made by the Factory including Sunbeam Mixmasters, Zircalloy spanners, Pinnock sewing machines, Slazenger golf clubs, Borg Warner gear boxe, Centrex movie projectors, SAF-LOK handcuffs, medical implants and the track shoes for the Armoured Personnel Carriers. c) Collection of historic precision engineered metal working machines dating back to 1910 which were used by the Factory. d) Archive collection of some 200 000 paper records: blueprints, correspondence, employee records, equipment / building specifications and newspaper articles from 1905 on, which are progressively being catalogued and digitized. Our archives were formally recognised in 2019 by UNESCO for their Memory of Australia & World significance. e) A technical library housing an assortment of books, magazines and articles. The museum also has a retail shop and a hall which can accommodate up to 500 people. What we offer to our visitors We have three buildings, two of which have displays and the other being a hospitality venue in the old Factory canteen which we plan to restore as a cafeteria. We offer our visitors a highly personalised touch. On entry, they receive a short briefing about the Museum and Factory. They have access to our volunteers on any matter they want details on relating to the displays which are spread out across two floors of the Museum building. They are guided to the General Machine Shop and given a briefing on the precision engineered metal working machines and their operations. The quality of what we hold and the way in which we provide services has led to excellent reviews on social media. Our exhibits cater for all demographics and we welcome them all. We are always on the look-out for more volunteers who have the passion and interest to take the Museum to new levels. Archiving & digitizing records, library services, tour guiding, office work, front counter and shop services, gardening and general maintenance, website/social media management, grant applications and events management are some of the key areas we are looking for people to give a hand.

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