The Norfolk Island
Museum applied to the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme
(MMAPSS) to provide for a condition assessment of the HMS Sirius Collection. Rebecca
Dallwitz, Objects Conservator for the Australian National Maritime Museum
(ANMM) arrived on the island last week to undertake this assessment.
The MMAPSS is funded
by the Australian Government and managed by the ANMM, the Norfolk Island Museum
have been fortunate to receive assistance through this grant scheme over the
past number of years. Some of the
projects funded by the scheme has provided for the development of educational resources; a Norfolk Island
maritime research project post 1856 including our whaling heritage and the
story of the Resolution; it has
provided for the writing of maritime significance statements and the
conservation of our collections.
Rebecca spent over a
week on the island examining the HMS Sirius
artefacts on display and in storage and now has the enormous task of pulling
the information together and producing a report. Her study not only includes the assessment of
the actual objects but also considers the environment, housing, collection
maintenance and documentation. It will
provide a valuable document to confirm existing best practice museum standards,
but more importantly identify what needs to be addressed to ensure the long
term preservation and care of such a significant collection. She has already identified necessary activity
to address the environment, display material and documentation; this report
will be a tool to assist us to procure resources for these necessary
projects.
Many thanks to
Rebecca for your time and professionalism, to the ANMM for sparing her from an
extremely busy existing work schedule and to the Australian Government funded
Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme.
Janelle Blucher
