Toys from an era before batteries

Rose Reid beside a cabinet of Sindy dolls.

It will be a trip down memory lane for visitors to the Albertland Museum in Wellsford during a special exhibition celebrating toys of yesteryear.

The exhibition opens this week for the start of the school holidays and will run until Christmas.

It is called Kids’ Stuff – from the ‘good old days’ and is being curated by Rose Reid and her daughter-in-law, Kerrie Reid. Many of the exhibits, including about 50 Sindy dolls, are part of Rose’s personal collection.

Visitors can expect to see an eclectic mix of toys, from Buzzy Bees, swops and miniature tea sets to board games and early transformers.

Some of the rarer items include a doll that is more than a century old and a metal Hornby train set.

Rose says she hopes the exhibition will appeal to both adults and children.

An interactive activities table will be set up for children to try out 3D items, anaglyphs, stereoscopes, kaleidoscopes and “the good old Viewmaster”. There will also be a competition for the best-dressed peg doll.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm, and on Sunday and Monday from 1pm to 3pm.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 restrictions have again forced the postponement of the Gibbs Farm tour, a major fundraising event for the museum. The tour was first slated for April and then October.

Museum volunteer Lyn Johnston says they are now looking at a date in late March next year.