Left: A soldier talks to student visitors at the Jamaican Military Museum at Up Park Camp recently. Right: You can get an up-close look at a helicopter and armoured-personnel carriers on the outside of the museum.- photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer

Robert Lalah, Assistant Editor - Features

The little girl at the head of the line to enter the museum opened her mouth wide when she got her first glimpse of what was inside. She smiled and tugged on the sleeve of the boy who was standing behind her and pointed to one of the mannequins. The boy, looking annoyed at first, gasped when he looked up and saw the mannequins for himself.

The children were entering the Jamaican Military Museum at Up Park Camp in St. Andrew for the first time and got more than a bit excited. But that's not uncommon, according to museum operators.

"Most times when children come here we have to ensure that they don't get out of hand and that they only look and don't touch. They get very excited, especially by the old guns and mannequins," said museum manager Yvonne Foster.

It's a spacious building with artefacts that go as far back as the days when the Tainos ruled the island and there are photos that capture Jamaica's role in World War I. Several military gears like guns and uniforms are also on display. It seems like a lot, but according to chairman of the committeethat oversees the museum, Lieutenant Colonel Rocky Meade, the museum has only about 30 per cent of the total artefacts that the military owns.

"We didn't want the place to feel crowded. We wanted visitors to feel free to move around. In any case we'll be changing our display from time to time to keep it fresh," he said.

The museum was first opened in 1972 but was relocated and reopened in July last year. The building it's now in used to be a storeroom. "We renovated it and came up with a new plan," Lieutenant Colonel Meade said.

And those plans are extensive. An Internet caf? and library are being set up next to the museum and there are plans to develop a garden at the entrance.

There's a $100 entrance fee but the museum manager said that they won't be turning anyone back. "If you come we can work something out. If you come in large groups then there's also a discount. It's not about making money. We just need enough to maintain the place," said Yvonne Foster.

If all goes as planned, then in a few months the entire area will be like a one-stop research centre where college and high school students, as well as everyday residents, can go to get all the information they could ever want on the Jamaican Military.

"We're moving with the times and in a little while this will be a first-class facility," Lieutenant Colonel Meade said.

Left: Lieutenant Colonel Rocky Meade explains plans for expanding the museum at Up Park Camp recently. Right:Mannequins displaying three different military uniforms.