Buxtonians turned out in their numbers yesterday to support the launch of the Buxton/Friendship Museum, Archive and Culture Centre, which is an initiative of overseas-based Buxtonian Keith Easton and his organization, Friends of Villages, Museums and Archives (FVMA).
Easton, who has for decades worked in the financial sector, has over the last 10 years been striving to open the centre, which he hopes will encourage cultural awareness and transformative partnerships or opportunities for consultations in the promotion and preservation of the rich, diverse history, traditional stories and practices that cut across ethnic boundaries in the two East Coast villages.
The vision of FVMA is for the centre, which is being operated from a property owned by Easton’s family, to share with and be involved in the communities, thereby becoming a catalyst for the social and economic transformation of the people, while also being an institution of cultural entertainment, education, economic activities and leadership training. It also aims to create a space for safeguarding history and reflecting on the life of individuals associated with the two communities, so that the full racial and cultural diversity can be appreciated locally and internationally.
