A GROUP of Gawlerites have banded together to help promote the town’s long and rich history by forming the Gawler Cultural Heritage Foundation (GCHF).

The GCHF will undertake fundraising to support the recently-opened Gawler Heritage Collection, located at the Gawler Civic Centre, and other cultural heritage initiatives in Gawler.

GCHF chairperson Helen Hennessy said the group was a way to connect the public with the Gawler Heritage Collection.

“We’ve just been discussing some exhibition ideas and how we can help finance and organise those type of things,” she said.

“There are a lot of Gawler people, and even more old Gawler people, coming to us saying it’s a great idea and that they want to support it.”

Mrs Hennessy said the foundation is not affiliated with Gawler Council, but it would work closely with the local government body to enhance the Gawler Heritage Collection.

Fellow GCHF member Adrian Shackley said fundraising to restore artefacts to be included within displays would also form part of the foundation’s responsibilities.

“There are plenty of things in the Gawler Heritage Collection which are not in a state to display, it’s going to cost a lot of money to get some of those things up to scratch,” he said.

“Providing some potential support for those things will be pretty important.”

Exhibitions on the history of Gawler’s sporting clubs, fire services and hospitals are all potential ideas the GCHF hopes to bring to life.

Mrs Hennessy said an exhibition about the town’s sporting clubs would help connect new residents and young people to Gawler’s history.

“Gawler’s had a focus on education, music and sport from day-dot and you can see it,” she said.

“Gawler Central and South Gawler (sporting clubs), they’ve been there since way back.

“When we get to that, it will start to connect with the newcomers of the town.”