It's just one of the stories Major Neil Leckie (ret'd) tells as the museum, officially the history storage unit of the 8/7 Battalion, Royal Victorian Rifles, celebrates its 30^th anniversary this Sunday.

As Major Leckie recalls, the adjutant to the then commanding officer was a retired British officer of the line named Robert Wallace, who had come to Australia on a half-salary. He couldn't reconcile himself to the idea of working for an elected commander, as Colonel Richard Belford of the Ballarat Rangers was.

To add salt to the wound, Lieutenant-Colonel Belford was not a career soldier but, of all things, a former owner and editor of the Ballarat Star newspaper, an Irishman and quite young. Major Wallace began to white-ant Lt-Col Belford's position, complaining the standard of the new troop's drill was poor. Belford soon resigned.

"From that point Robert Wallace became known as 'Colonel Wallace' - but he was never a colonel," says Major Leckie.

""He became the acting officer in charge of the Rifle Volunteers for a number of years after that, and was supposedly responsible for introducing the famous green jacket, which was the signature uniform of the British 60^th Rifles. But Wallace had served in India, and had never seen the 60^th, so we're not sure."

What is certain is that the museum holds a treasure of military history about the city. From the days when the quartermaster of the 8/7 RVR Bill Akell first set up a museum space at the old Drill Hall in Curtis Street, to its time in the RSL hall at Sebastopol, to the current premises at the 8/7 headquarters, the members have assiduously sought and displayed uniforms, medals, weapons, kit and other memorabilia that has a connection to Ballarat.

Among prized possessions are the uniforms and kit of William Paterson and Edgar Uebergang.

William John Paterson served in the Junior School Cadets, reaching the rank of Colour Sergeant. He was then commissioned as an officer in Ballarat's 71st Infantry in the Senior Cadets. He enlisted in WW1 with Ballarat's 14th Depot Battalion as a sergeant before transferring to the 39th Battalion being trained in Ballarat.

He went to war as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 4th Reinforcements of 39th Battalion. After the war he returned to teaching at SMB and stayed there until retirement.

Ballarat's Militia 8th Infantry Battalion served in Darwin and in the islands in World War Two. The battalion transferred to the AIF as the 8th Australian Infantry Battalion (AIF) in 1943.

Edgar Uebergang served with the battalion from 23 Mar 1944, finally being discharged on 19 September 1946.

He was awarded a Military Medal for 'coolness and courage evacuating the wounded' at Ratsua on 24 July 1945.

The Ballarat Ranger Military Museum was opened by the then Minister for defence the Hon Kim Beazley at the old Ranger Barracks (now Dan Murphy's) on July 28, 1989.

On Sunday July 28, 2019 the museum will celebrate its 30^th anniversary with a morning tea at 10.30am. The public is welcome at the morning tea.