Harry's Museum, Warners Bay

Henry Alan Morton, known as Harry Morton, was a resident of Warners Bay from around 1949. He was an avid collector of Aboriginal and Pacific Islander artefacts, which he stored in his garage in Seamans Avenue. His large and varied collection was made publically accessible and became known as Harry’s Museum. It was a local landmark in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and attracted many visitors.

On his death in May 1975, it appears that his artefact collection was sold or given to John Magers a Sydney antique dealer specialising in indigenous artefacts.

Mr Magers donated the indigenous part of this collection to The Australian Museum and The National Museum of Australia around 1983/1984.

It is unclear what happened to the other part of Harry’s collection of guns, shells etc. They may have been sold individually or may have been left to the Newcastle Gun Club, of which he was a member.

The following article from the Newcastle Morning Herald of Saturday 14 March 1953, provides a detailed description of the Museum and its collection.

"This Museum began with a Honkalonga"

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