BANK Art Museum Moree is one step closer to securing funding for the next five years after another round of talks at Moree Plains Shire Council’s ordinary meeting last Thursday shed more light on ongoing concerns about alleged missing artworks and Aboriginal stones and artefacts.
Some of the items have been listed as missing for more than 20 years.
The at-times fiery meeting in front of a packed public gallery heard from Moree Cultural Art Foundation chair Annabelle Simpson, who spoke passionately about BAMM and the work the award-winning gallery does in the community.
The funding hold-up centres around discrepancies identified in a recent audit of artworks and culturally significant objects as well as BAMM’s description and role as a ‘keeping place’ for Aboriginal stones and artefacts.
Mrs Simpson addressed councillors about the audit of artworks undertaken by MPSC, referenced in the December report, and MCAF’s commitment to the Kamilaroi people.
She told councillors, BAMM is committed to exhibiting Aboriginal artworks and supporting indigenous artists.
“During the past 12 months BAMM has exhibited the works of many Kamilaroi artists and works from Euraba,” Mrs Simpson said.
“Seven of BAMM’s exhibitions this year have showcased Aboriginal artwork. Both of BAMM’s engagement programs, award-winning Team Trampoline and Garage Barbershop have involved high participation from young, local Aboriginal people.
“At the beginning of the year, the Freedom Ride was celebrated at BAMM with the Rachel Perkins film available three times a day for viewing, welcoming the Elders to participate in remembering.
“BAMM is not withdrawing from this commitment,” Mrs Simpson said.
“Our exhibition program for 2026 has been curated to continue showcasing Aboriginal culture and engagement of young Aboriginal people.
“We will host the HOME program, which relates to exploring cultural identity, working in partnership with the Department of Education and the Art Gallery of NSW, engaging with 14 local schools.
“We will also host the Archibald Prize in November next year if we are open.
“Councillors, the board has made a commitment to BAMM to support as much as is fiscally responsible, but without your financial help the doors will close and the 2026 program will be lost,” she said.
Moree Plains Shire councillors agreed to interim funding of $100,000 for BAMM with expectations full funding for the next five years will be restored in early 2026.
Moree mayor Susannah Pearse said Council’s intention is to execute a funding agreement with the gallery, and provide interim funding to enable the gallery to continue delivering services according to the agreement until finer points are resolved.
“I think it’s clear the gallery and the foundation’s intentions are to deliver the services Council has asked the gallery and foundation to deliver,” Cr Pearse said.
“There seems to be a few things we still need to sort out in terms of executing that long-term, five-year funding agreement.”
Council general manager Natalia Cowley said an interim contribution of $100,000 will go towards the facilitation of the financial needs of the organisation.
“(This can be done) while we iron out the discrepancies we have so far, and that we have an agreement that is actually executionable,” Ms Cowley said.
BAMM director Rosie Dennis said the MCAF board and gallery staff were deeply thankful for the interim funding.
“The December council meeting delivered a positive result for BAMM,” Ms Dennis said.
“We view Council’s decision as an acknowledgement of the important role BAMM plays in the community and look forward to delivering quality exhibitions and engagement programs next year. “BAMM’s full program will be announced on February 12, and we invite the community to join us and celebrate the year ahead,” she said.
In November, Moree Plains Shire Council appointed Abacus Stocktaking to conduct a full inventory of artworks at various centres in Moree after several objects were deemed missing.
Council’s business papers say the scope of work to account for permanent assets and loaned items included artworks and artefacts stored at BAMM and extended to Council’s Heber Street offices, the Dhiiyaan Aboriginal Centre, and Moree Hospital.
The stocktake was completed in the week ending November 30, 2025, with a full asset report received on December 9, 2025.
Ms Dennis said MCAF earlier this year secured grant funding for the conservation and restoration of a number of Aboriginal artworks and for the valuation of the Moree Plains Shire Council and MCAF artwork collections.
“The valuation was undertaken by an Australian Government-accredited valuer and involved a three-stage process, including inspection and valuation of each artwork and the updating of internal records to reflect provenance information,” Ms Dennis said.
She said there are still several pieces unaccounted for, with an insured value of $21,800.
“We are continuing to follow up on the list and have warm leads on the photographs, and one of the paintings,” Ms Dennis said.
MCAF board member Lisa Orchin expressed appreciation on behalf of the board for Council’s allocation of funding to BAMM.
“This $100,000 reflects the level of funding BAMM would have received in the first half of the year under the draft agreement accepted by Council at the June council meeting and was desperately needed to ensure BAMM’s doors could remain open to start the 2026 events’ program,” Mrs Orchin said.
“It is critical the contract be finalised in January and accepted at the February Council meeting.
“Without this certainty, it becomes extremely difficult to secure future programs with partner agencies and funding bodies.
“Our staff require job security, our Gamilaroi community needs confidence there is a safe place for the care of their cultural objects and artefacts, and the broader community deserves assurance Moree is moving forward rather than losing another valued community asset,” she said.
A Council requirement is that MCAF needs to provide ‘confirmation of when they stopped being a Keeping Place for Aboriginal stones and artefacts and consider this as a re-negotiation point in the Funding Agreement, to be executed at a future date’.
“More than 25 years ago the then-Moree Plains Shire Gallery, not MCAF, was colloquially known as a Keeping Place,” Mrs Orchin said.
“At the time, there was no other suitable facilities in Moree for the safe keeping of artworks and objects that may have cultural significance to the Kamilaroi People. As such, BAMM did not formally register as a Keeping Place.
“A Keeping Place is not a service. It is a culturally significant term, for an Aboriginal-led, community-controlled cultural centre that cares for cultural material on Country.
“Local farmers and landowners hand-delivered stones and rocks to the gallery, over many years, as the gallery was the only place in the region that had the capacity to safely store the objects until such time they could be assessed for their cultural significance,” she said.
Mrs Orchin was supported in writing by Moree Aboriginal Elders president and chairman Barry Sampson, who said a Keeping Place is “not a service”.
“It is an Aboriginal community-controlled place for the care, protection and management of Aboriginal cultural material,” Mr Sampson said.
“In Moree, we don’t have an Aboriginal community-controlled place (for this type of care) and until one is established in Moree, Moree Aboriginal Elders think BAMM is the most suitable and safest place for the care and storage of the stones and artefacts that have cultural significance for the Gomeroi and Gamilaroi people.
“These stones and objects were brought into the gallery by members of the local community as the gallery was colloquially known as a Keeping Place going back more than 20 years.
“As Elders, our responsibility is to ensure cultural material is cared for in a safe and respectful way and we think the team at BAMM is doing a good job of caring for these objects and artefacts,” he said.
Moree Aboriginal Land Council also supported BAMM, with chairperson Tom French saying the gallery is the most appropriate and responsible location for the safe keeping of Aboriginal stones and artefacts currently held in Moree.
“These objects have been entrusted to the gallery for safe-keeping on behalf of the Kamilaroi community,” Mr French said.
“The safe-keeping of objects at BAMM does not constitute BAMM as a Keeping Place, nor has it been represented to us as such.
“Rather, BAMM is fulfilling a practical and responsible role in safeguarding objects locally, ensuring they are not dispersed, damaged or removed from community context.
“Moree Aboriginal Land Council supports the continued safe-keeping of these stones and artefacts at BAMM,” Mr French said.
BAMM director Rosie Dennis said the gallery’s commitment to storing Aboriginal objects is a priority.
“Whether BAMM uses the words ‘keeping place’ or not, does not mean our commitment to the Kamilaroi community has in any way diminished or lessened in terms of the care and storage of the stones and artefacts,” Ms Dennis said.
“We greatly value our relationship with the Aboriginal community and the role BAMM plays in caretaking for these stones and artefacts on behalf of the Kamilaroi people.
“With the support of the Aboriginal community, BAMM is committed to continuing its role of caretaker until such time as an Aboriginal-owned-and-operated centre is established in Moree,” she said.
