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Annual Report 1986/87

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Annual Report 1986/87 Annual Report 1986/87 I I australian museum ,, . Annual Report 1986/87 The Trust and staff of the Australian Muse~m DONORS have pleasure in thanking the follo~ mg To the Australian M useum, Lizard Island organisations and individuals who provided Research Statio n (LIRS) and T he financial assistance through research grants or Australian Museum Society (TAMS) donations. AGL Limited Sydney (TAMS) Benefactors are classed as companies who Alpha Research & Development Australia have donated more than $25,000 or individuals Pty Ltd (LIRS) who have donated more than $15,000. Donors Amatil Ltd (TAMS) have given more than $500 this year. American Express International Inc. (TAMS) Benefactors Australian Guarantee Corporation Ltd (TAMS) The Australian Museum Society Australian Institute for Marine Science Bayer Australia Ud (LIRS) Bernard Van Leer Foundation Banque Nationale De Paris (TAMS) Blue Circle Southern Cement Ltd Boral Ltd (TAMS) Mr William Bowmore (Newcastle NSW) Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd Mr Peter Bridge (Carlisle WA) (TAMS) Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd Cape Flattery Silica Mines Ltd (LJRS) The Bushel\ Trust Condor Marine Manufacturing (LIRS) Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd Consolidated P ress Holding Ltd (TAMS) Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd CRA (LI RS) Commonwealth Banking Corporation of Esso Australia Ltd (TAMS) Australia Or Paul Fischer CSR Ltd Ian Potter Foundation (LIRS) Mr W. 0 . Cudlipp & Mrs P. B. Cudlipp James N Kirby Foundation (LIRS) Dick Smith Electronics Pty Ltd Johnson and Johnson Australia Pty Ltd Esso Australia Ltd (TAMS) Government of the Federal Republic of Mr S. Johnson and Family Germany Mr Peter Kendall/ Far Nor Ag Pty Lld IBM Australia (LlRS) James N. Kirby Foundation Dr Barbara Kojis & Dr Norman Quinn Mr Henry Loomis (Washington USA) (URS) . Mr Stan G. Moriarty (Sydney NSW) Lizard Island Reef Research Foundauon Mrs Jean McK. Moriarty (Sydney NSW) Montoro Resources Sir John Proud (Sydney NSW) Sir Laurence and Lady Muir (LIRS) State Bank of New South Wales Limited National Australia Bank Ltd (TAMS) Suntory Ltd/Japan Foundation Northern Chemicals (Mr White) (URS) The Sydney City Council Mr G. J. O'Neil (LIRS) Unilever Australia Pty Ltd Mrs D. Packard (LIRS) Utah Foundation Mr H. Parnaby Dr Charles H. Warman (Sydney NSW) Peter Stuyvesant Cultural Foundation Mr B. W. Weisner, (Sydney NSW) (TAMS) Westpac Banking Corporation Ltd Philip Bushell fo undaiton (LIRS) Sir John P roud (Sydney NSW) (URS) Readers Digest Services Pty Ltd (LIRS) Mrs J. Rentoul (LJRS) Rogers Fibreglass Pty Ltd (LIRS) Rothmans Holdings Ltd (TAMS) Or W. B. Rudman Siemens Ltd (TAMS) RH & PA Smith (TAMS) Mr W. Tatlow (TAMS) . Wild Leitz (Australia) Pty Ud (TAMS) Wild Leitz (Australia) Pty Ltd (LI RS) A Museum for the Future Mission The mission of the Australian Museum is to We see financial and moral support for the increase and disseminate knowledge about and museum as a responsibility of the private encourage understanding of, our natural citizen and the commercial sector, as well as environment and cultural heritage, especially of government. The Museum must be active in the Australian region. Acquisition and in gaining and strengthening that support: we preservation of collections are central to the see an obligation to account for that support achievement of the mission. and how it has advanced the Museum's The Australian Museum intends to continue objectives. We believe that it is also to grow and develop as an organisation based appropriate that the Museum undertake in Sydney providing services to the public commercial enterprises relevant to its principally throughout NSW but with an objectives; we seek to recover costs of services active involvement in all of Australia and its where the consumer has a capacity to pay. neighbouring regions. We are determined to We seek to be, and be seen as, a stimulating maintain our place as one of the world's major and responsive organisation to work in by natural history museums. providing appropriate career and personal ln seeking to encourage others to development opportunities, and opportunities understand and appreciate the world around for individual staff to be involved in setting us we shall continue scientific/scholarly the Museum's objectives. Those responsible studies generally relevant to the collections, for managing programs will be delegated pursue effective educational programs and authority for allocation of staff and financial exhibitions, where appropriate with others, resources. and communicate with our audience. Above all, we intend that the Museum be In acquiring and managing collections we seen by those who pay for it, those who use will emphasise forseeable opportunities for it and those who work in it, as progressive, research and communication to the public. We entrepreneurial, relevant, contributing to the also intend to preserve our collections and the community, credible, friendly, reliable, ethical information we have gained about them for and exciting. the benefit of future generations. • The Australian Museum is recognised as one We intend that all people may have access of the six best natural history museums in to the Museum and its faciHties and the the world. opportunity to share its accumulated • The Museum reaches more than one million knowledge. people each year, including one adult in We intend to focus our resources on distinct seven in metropolitan Sydney and just under programs and projects: evaluation of the half the Sydney adult population over five success of those programs will be a central years. feature of management. • Just under half the visitors to the Museum In pursuing our objectives we will respect are tourists from outside Sydney. the rights and wishes of the peoples whose • Each year almost 100,000 children in school knowledge and material culture forms the groups use the Museum and as many again basis of our cultural resources, not needlessly visit our travelling displays. affect the environment and will consciously • The Museum's collections are valued at over abide by legjslation and conventions protecting $SOM. wildlife and cultural heritage. • ln the last seven years we have completed As a major institution established by eight new semi-permanent exhibitions. A government and attracting increasing public new travelling exhibition has been completed interest and participation and achieving high every two years. standards of performance we will seek greater financial support by government. We intend to be responsive to the fundamental policies of government. - The ''88'' Experience he Australian Museum's vi~itor figure Tracks Through Time of one million per year w1ll explode in 1988 when we not only open a The Story of Human Twhole new museum wing, but also Evolution four major new exhibitions of our own plus This exhibition will run back to back with travelling exhibitions. These will add Rituals of the H uman Lifecycle, it will deal considerably to Australians understanding of with biological and physical evolution of their heritage. humans. lt has been made possible by the Pieces of Paradise : Pacific generous sponsorship of Blue Circle Southern Cement Ltd and will open on August 31, 1988. Artefacts Through Many Eyes Rituals of the Human A show case of the best items from our world Lifecycle class collections from the western and Dealing with human societies this exhibition southern Pacific, Papua New Guinea and will look at human cultural 'evolution', the rich nearby areas. This temporary exhibition will diversity of human adaptation to the run for one year and include marvellous and environment and of societies to each other. h exotic masks, headdresses, carvings and dance will reveal the common thread of humanity ornaments, as well as more mundane but running through illl societies and the approach important fishing equipment, weapons, taken by people to life at various ages. Rituals clothing and musical instruments. It will show will open mid October, 1988. the range of meanings attributed to these artefacts and how they are used to communicate various kinds of messages. The First Impressions anthropological content will be of the highest First Impressions an exhibition from the standard and a beautifully illustrated British Museum and part of that country's catalogue will be prepared to accompany the Bicentennia l gift to Australia will tour exhibition. Pieces of Paradise will be opened Australia throughout 1988. It will be on by the Premier of NSW on April 10, 1988. display in the Long Gallery at the Australian Museum from September 22- November 20, Dreamtime to Dust · 1988. Australia's Fragile These exhibitions are individually and together the most ambitious ever undertaken Inheritance by the Museum and cenainly no other i museum in Australia has attempted such a Surveying Australia, its environment and program. inhabitants over the last 200,000 years this exhibition will comprise three large dioramas. It is only fitting that the Australian Museum, after 150 years of inadequate • Visitors will learn of the changes which have made Australia what it is and be stimulated exhibition and storage space can make this to think more about the nature of Australia kind of impact in the Bicentennial year. The by viewing and interacting with models of program will increase public awareness of the animals and audio-visual effects. Life-sized Museum and put it in an c:xceJlenl posiliou to recreations of giant mammals, birds and stage exciting traveUjng exhibitions from 1989. reptiles in their natural environment will feature
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