No matter who you are or how old you are, we can guarantee there has been a chapter of your life as an avid collector. Maybe it was at age five, fascinated by different shaped rocks or as an adult, bringing home snow globes to remember your worldly travels. For Allan Baker, OAM, collecting and sharing history and military memorabilia with the Childers community has been a lifelong journey.

We are always told to look for the silver lining and that is what Allan, owner of the Military and Memorabilia Museum, did. While recovering from an accident, Allan began collecting the memorabilia of armed force personnel from all over the world, a longtime interest of his formed by reading the passionate letters between his war-torn parents.

                                                                                                                                                                                   (credit: Bundaberg Photographer Paul Beutel)

On one fateful day while watching television, Allan noticed the intricate patches on the uniforms of Police Officers. Not wanting these important pieces of history to be forgotten, Allan wrote to cities around the world asking for donations. With Allan’s name gaining traction throughout the military history world, people began coming to his home, donating uniforms and other unique artifacts to preserve their own family history.

As his collection was bursting at the seams, Allan and his wife, Lorraine, made the exciting move to open his Military and Memorabilia Museum, a dream come true for any collector. From that day over 30 years ago, Allan’s collection has not stopped growing.

Today, the museum holds a whopping 62,000 items of military and memorabilia made up of donations from over 150 countries. Come meet this remarkable man, preserving history for generations to come on your next hinterland getaway, maybe hidden in your cupboards is item 62,001.