A time capsule has just been sealed at the Australian War Memorial that is expected to be opened 100 years from the completion of the development works – let’s hope it won’t be lost or forgotten like some other Canberra time capsules.

They always start with pomp and ceremony (a token royal or pollie) but then we get distracted by the passage of time and it gets lost behind the couch.

A time capsule buried in 1920 where Parliament House now stands, has vanished. The Prince of Wales (Edward) travelled all the way from Buckingham Palace to Capital Hill for the formalities. Inside the capsule was an itinerary of the royal visit and maps/plans of the federal territory and city.

When construction workers began work on new Parliament House in the 1980s, they dug up the foundation stone but the time capsule wasn’t there. No-one knows what happened to it.

They re-tried burying another time capsule in 1983 and this time, the then Prince Charles made the long trip over to inspect our handiwork. We think it’s still there.

Canberra’s not the only forgetful city. The city of Corona in California has somehow managed to misplace 17 time capsules over the space of 50 years. The city tried to find them during their centenary in 1986 but just succeeded in tearing up a lot of concrete around the civic centre.

At the rate Canberra’s suburbs are developing we’re bound to dig up a few long-lost time capsules over time. Higgins Primary School was recently bulldozed to make way for new apartments but no-one found the time capsule that was buried there in the ‘70s.

Rivett Primary School also buried a time capsule in 1985 but ran out of funding for a plaque so the site was unmarked. The lost treasure contains, among other odd trinkets, a music cassette tape, jelly beans and a game of marbles.

Time capsules became popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s and they’re no doubt a great resource for future historians – but so many have poor planning. Rule number one: mark where you bury it. Rule number two: make it waterproof. Rule number three: don’t forget rule number one.

A time capsule was recovered from Mount Stromlo in 1973, which contained survey plans that had been buried in 1942 as a safeguard against the originals being destroyed by war.  A good idea in theory, however water seeped into the capsule and rusted the tin where the films were stored.

Rule number four: select the contents of the time capsule thoughtfully so that future anthropologists won’t be left scratching their heads. Time capsules are intended to reveal the psyche of a city but one wonders what future archaeologists will think of Canberrans. The time capsule buried amongst countless rabbit warrens at City Hill, Civic, holds a traffic infringement notice and a toe of the Skywhale prototype, amongst other obscure relics.

A time capsule underneath the foundations of the Canberra Yacht Club, buried in 1966, holds some historic papers, a bottle of rum, a few coins and a cigar. The coins were put in a jar because Australia was about to switch over to decimal currency but the significance of the cigar is vague.

A glass time capsule that was buried (somewhere) in Commonwealth Park in 1988 has not aged well. It contains a newsletter from the “26ers club”, whose members were born on Australia Day, January 26, in any year, and the Australian Gas Cook Book.  Both of which may not be relevant in Canberra when the time capsule is due to be opened in 2088. (Natural gas is to be phased out in Canberra by 2045 and the Australia Day “change the date” movement is gathering momentum)

An honorable mention should go to NASA, who blasted a time capsule into space in 1977 aboard the Voyager spacecrafts. They carry a 12-inch gold-plated phonograph record containing sounds and images that portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth.

NASA lost Voyager 2 in August this year. Thankfully, Canberra found it (Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex tracked it down – 20 billion kilometres away. Ironic that we can’t find the one up the road on Capital Hill).

Getting back to the time capsule at the Australian War Memorial, which will sit in a purpose-built and secure recess in the floor, behind the original heritage Memorial building. Fear not, there will be a plaque identifying that the time capsule is there. It contains artefacts from the development project, information on current projects and Memorial-led initiatives and personal items from current staff. Come 2125, we hope it’s still there.

For handy tips on how to correctly bury a time capsule, visit the National Archives of Australia website.

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