Once a centrepiece in Skillen’s grocery shop (formerly located where Dungog Medical Surgery now stands), this historic register served the community until 1966, when Australia transitioned to decimal currency.

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The register is now at the heart of Arts Upper Hunter’s ‘This Here Then Now’ (THTN) Museum Activation Residency Program, supported by the Regional Arts Fund.

The initiative seeks to breathe new life into small local museums by fostering creative collaborations between artists and their collections, spaces and stories.

Dungog-based artist Helene Leane has been selected to collaborate with Dungog Museum to interpret this ornate cash register, offering a fresh perspective on the historical currency system.

“I have a keen interest in history and to be able to combine this passion with my visual art practice is something very important to me,” said Helene Leane.

“The museum is a space with so much artistic inspiration, whether from the objects, stories or people.

“It is an open space where anybody can access information about the past and thereby acquire a deeper understanding of the society in which they live.”

As part of the THTN Residency, Helene will investigate the commercial history of Dowling Street, Dungog, during the pre-decimal currency era.

Engravings taken from the register will be used to create a large centrepiece in the exhibition space at the museum.

Other artworks will be designed using advertisements from the Dungog Chronicle and from goods that were packaged during the first half of the 20th century.

The exhibition will also feature educational elements to help children explore how the imperial currency system worked and the process of its conversion to dollars and cents.

Helene also plans to document the current shop fronts and their owners, bridging the gap between the past and present.

“The project is a novel and new one for the Museum,” Dungog Museum President Maureen Kingston said.

“The Museum is delighted to be able to collaborate with a local artist for this most interesting display.”

Suzannah Jones, Project Officer at Arts Upper Hunter, is “very excited” to see what Helene will create.

“The cash register is a showpiece in the Museum, and like many objects here, it deserves to be brought to life and shared with the community in new and engaging ways.”