AN historic Guildford building that now houses one of the state’s most peculiar museums will celebrate a century since its first opening.

The building that now contains the Guildford Museum of Natural History, also known as the Academy of Taxidermy, turns 100 on March 9, marking a full century since its construction in 1926.

Guildford taxidermist Michael Buzza has called the museum home for the past 21 years and has maintained, expanded and showcased the museum and its displays since its opening in 2005.

Mr Buzza said the museum was an interesting and unlikely meeting of taxidermy and an opportunity in Guildford.

Though his bookings are full with clients all over the world, the conditions for taxidermy weren’t ideal in a hot country like Australia and yet it was here his passion became a lifelong devotion.

“There’re almost 400,000 taxidermists in America but hardly any in Australia,” Mr Buzza said.

“It’s not a good climate, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Guildford because my family is from here and that’s why we settled here.

“Although, I’ve moved 48 times, my grandfather on my mum’s side went to school at the Guildford Primary School and we’ve always been in the area.

“I can always remember coming down to Perth on the weekends and dad would say, ‘4000 sheep on a farm can look after themselves but we have to drive all the way back to Perth to feed Michael’s birds’.

“Guildford was always the last bit of the journey separating them and so we had a soft spot for it.

“That and once my own home got too crowded from taxidermy, my mum found a chance to buy this lovely old building in the paper.”

The story of the building has become intertwined with the work of Mr Buzza and his wife Lara Buzza who has also been keeping the museum maintained for many years.

Mrs Buzza said visitors were often surprised by the size of the space in the building once they entered but she enjoyed it that way.

“Everybody says when you walk in, it’s so much bigger,” she said.

“Probably because after visiting antique shops, they’re expecting everything to be tiny and small inside.

“They stop at the entrance with the curtain and I tell them there’s much more, and when they open the curtain they go, ‘wow’.

“Here, magic is happening and we prefer it this way rather than the opposite where people come with huge expectations and are disappointed – this way, it’s a surprise.”

Mr Buzza said becoming the custodian of such a historic space has been both a privilege and a responsibility.

“This building is still largely the same as it was when I first purchased it from the Slovenian Club,” he said.

“It hasn’t gone through too many changes, and it’s been well looked after.”

The building originally opened on March 9, 1926 as the Regent Theatre, which was a theatre, gallery and two shops designed by noted Perth theatre architect Samuel Rosenthal.

It was built for owner and manager George Hall in an art deco style and was a significant social and entertainment centre in Guildford.

According to the Swan Express in March 1929, the Tuesday, March 9 evening of the opening was a rainy one but that didn’t stop audiences from filing in.

“Despite the rain on Tuesday evening, the seating accommodation for 700 at the Regent Theatre, Guildford, was almost filled,” the newspaper reported.

“The theatre is a handsome brick structure of imposing appearance brilliantly lighted by large globes under the awning.

“The attractive appearance of white walls and polished jarrah, together with symmetrical designs of wall and ceilings, will please all.”

According to the report, the opening night featured live musical accompaniment with Miss Huey performing as a pianist and conductor alongside her sisters Bernice and Viola on violin and banjo.

Audiences even experienced an early style of 3D cinema, wearing blue and red lensed glasses.

“One almost winced when the lariat swung near one’s head, or a missile came straight for one’s eye,” they wrote.

The theatre closed 40 years later in 1966 and was hired out for bingo and social events and in this period was renamed after renowned aviators as Garne Hall by the Royal Air Force Association of WA.

Then, in 1974, it was purchased by the Slovenian Club whose stewardship led it to be named The Slovenian Hall until its eventual purchase in 2005 by Mr Buzza.

Today, the hall continues to expand and change with new taxidermy pieces switched in and out.

“The most recent project of mine was three black cockatoos,” Mr Buzza said.

“Sometimes people have this idea in their mind of taxidermists and see me as a gun-happy type that like to go hunting and killing animals, but I’ve always worked off roadkill and animals that died from natural causes.

“It’s a chance to preserve an animal as a specimen or a memory for people – we’ve had people bring in their pets that we’ve taxidermised and I’ve bought little pet toys and stands to capture a moment in time.

“Taxi means move and derm means skin, and that’s all we do.”

Mrs Buzza said she was also glad to be able to call the historical building home and treasured Guildford’s ability to keep heritage alive.

“Sometimes people come in with mixed feelings and think, ‘Oh, he’s a hunter,’ but I explain what’s actually going on here and that taxidermy doesn’t mean destroying nature.

“Sometimes the children ask, ‘do the animals come to life?’ and I tell them all the time that after midnight, I hear some noises while I’m upstairs, but I never come down to disturb their party.”

Mrs Buzza said the magic that those stories spark in their imaginations and stays with the visitors was one of her favourite memories of being part of the building’s 100 years of history.