Tocumwal Aviation Museum slated for June opening

Mr Henderson said the building was designed to be the head-turner.

‘‘The building was always supposed to be as much of an attraction as what is in it,’’ he said.

‘‘People have been stopping by and taking pictures in front of it.’’

The modernist building is statuesque and grand, with sky-high ceilings and plenty of room to showcase the history of Tocumwal as well as its future.

‘‘The gift shop will stock local products; the aim is to sell local and regional products and sell local and regional produce in everything that we do,’’ Mr Henderson said.

‘‘Our model is a 20-year plan but the idea is that this is here forever.

‘‘We will have a combination of staff and volunteers here.

‘‘We expect at least three permanent staff to receive full-time roles, and five or six part-time.

‘‘We hope to avoid casual roles at all costs, because it’s less secure for staff.

‘‘There will be an art gallery set up with historic photographs and a history of aviation here in Tocumwal. It will go all the way back to 1919.

‘‘We will have a 28-seat cinema which will show historic footage and a history of the town.

‘‘Outside of hours we will hopefully do movie nights with beer and nibbles, as we are a licensed venue.

‘‘There will be real airplane hangars, which will showcase four or five aircraft, both civil and military, all of which will have relevance and a story relevant to Tocumwal.’’

Mr Henderson said the museum will also include a cafe.

‘‘I like nice coffee, so it will basically be somewhere for me to hang out and talk about planes all day,’’ he said with a laugh.

‘‘It will be licensed and we expect we will be selling local craft beers.

‘‘The idea of it is that it’s separate from the museum element, so people can come and go to the cafe without having to visit the museum first.’’

The museum will perfectly complement Tocumwal’s other historic attractions, many of which also pay tribute to the role Tocumwal played in World War II as an air force base.

‘‘It’s telling a story that’s still a remarkably well kept secret for most people,’’ Mr Henderson said.

‘‘The idea for us is to tell Tocumwal’s unique story; no other town can tell that story.’’

Mr Henderson said the museum is expected to be a hit will locals and visitors alike, but will particularly be a mecca when the Tocumwal airshow is held in September.

Mr Henderson is actively involved in the event and said the committee hopes to equal or better the 5000 attendees who enjoyed the first airshow in 2019.