Heritage at Gunpoint: Why Australia Can't Afford to Lose This Museum

Saving History Lithgow’s Small Arms Factory Museum

We need to save the Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum, an irreplaceable piece of Australian industrial heritage facing closure after a robbery and ongoing security costs. The museum houses not just firearms but also manufacturing equipment, archives, and the stories of generations of workers who powered Australia through two world wars.

Sign the petitions

Global petition

New South Wales Resident Petition
• Museum currently closed following robbery of 27 handguns, with security costs of $2,500 per week
• Located on site of original factory, housing irreplaceable machine production line that cannot be relocated
• Museum preserves Australia's first high-precision mass production facility's history
• Beyond weapons, factory produced domestic appliances and engineering components
• Women found employment opportunities in trades at the factory, breaking traditional workforce barriers
• Factory shaped Lithgow's development with worker housing estates still standing today
• Sign the petitions linked in our show notes to help save this critical part of Australian heritage
• Contact the museum directly if you have ideas to support their preservation efforts
Please sign both petitions linked in our show notes, share this episode, and consider volunteering or donating to help save this irreplaceable piece of Australian history.

Chapters

1. Welcome to Saving History (00:00:00)

2. The Factory's Historical Significance (00:01:40)

3. Fred Firth: A Worker's Story (00:03:47)

4. Legend Ian on the Museum's Crisis (00:05:52)

5. Beyond Guns: Factory's Broader Impact (00:09:00)

6. Call to Action: Save Our Heritage (00:12:47)