![HISTORY BUFF: Sound and film archive president Ian Austin was honored to have the city's collection assessed for historical significance. Photo: Gareth Gardner 210217GGB04 HISTORY BUFF: Sound and film archive president Ian Austin was honored to have the city's collection assessed for historical significance. Photo: Gareth Gardner 210217GGB04](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/pMXRnDj3SUU44AkPpn97sC/e711a96b-2db3-4f54-8f0d-a979b239cfae.jpg/r573_367_3000_2014_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
IF YOU’RE going on a treasure hunt, you don’t have to trek further than Peel St.
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![IMPRESSED: Historian Dr Roslyn Russell found a number of gems among the archives in Ray Walsh House. Photo: Gareth Gardner 210217GGB05 IMPRESSED: Historian Dr Roslyn Russell found a number of gems among the archives in Ray Walsh House. Photo: Gareth Gardner 210217GGB05](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/pMXRnDj3SUU44AkPpn97sC/e82f585d-12b4-41aa-a0d3-14eeab306e9d.jpg/r0_333_2853_1986_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Tucked away in the corridors of Ray Walsh House are some truly significant treasures.
You may think it’s hard to measure significance, but Tamworth’s sound and film archive was assessed by historian Dr Roslyn Russell, who had the task of trawling through the town’s artefacts.
“If it has some qualities that make it a bit different or more complete or its telling more about a subject than I would usually find out,” Dr Russell said.
The historian was particularly interested in the archive’s collection of slides from the First World War.
Having the collection assessed was vindication for the archive’s volunteers. “After 20 years of compiling this with my predecessors and the current people, that’s a feather in our cap,” president Ian Austin said.
“When it’s assessed as an item of national significance, it’s classified in the national library and it just makes it so much more valuable.”