I I I \ The Trust and staff of the Australian Museum have pleasure In t hanking the following organisations and IndiVIduals who provided financial assistance t hrough research grants or donations dur ing the year. The Australian Museum society James N. Kirby Foundation Benefactors saver Australian Ltd Mr Henry Loomis <Washington USAl The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd. Mrs Jean McK Moriartv (Sydney NSWl Blue Circle southern cement Ltd Mr Stan G. Moriarty <Sydney NSWl Mr william Bowman <Newcastle NSWl Sir John Proud <Sydney NSWl Mr Peter Bridge <Carlisle WAl Dick Smith Electronics pty Ltd Bush ell Trust State sank of New south Wales Ltd Caltex Oil <Australia> Pty Ltd suntory Ltd/ Japan Foundation castlemaine Tooheys Ltd The Sydney county council commonwealth Banking corporation of unilever Australia Pty Ltd Australia Utah Foundation CSR Ltd sernard van Leer Foundation Mr W.O. CUdlipp and Mrs P.B. Cudllpp Dr Charles H. warm an (Sydney NSWl ESSO Australia Ltd Westpac Danking Corporation Ltd IBM Australia Ltd Department of science. Australian Government Department of Employment and lndustrallal Donors through: Relations. Australian Government through the • Marine science & Technologies Grants Scheme National Employment Scheme for Aborlglnies !MSTl IN.E.SAl • Australian Research Grants Scheme IARGSl • oueen·s Fellowship The Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation Australian China council Department of Arts, Heritage and Environment, Burns Phllip & eo Australian Government. through the Australian Mrs MA Melville Biological Research StudY (ABRSl Scheme. Cleanaway Department of Primary Industry, Australian council of Australian Museum Directors Government through the FIShing Industry MrTon Nunan Research Trust Account (FIRTAl Scheme. M & M Whelon Trust Ltd CRA services Ltd Alpha Research and Development Australia Lizard Island 1an Potter Foundation (td Pty Ltd Ph1lip Bushel! Foundation Sir Laurence and Lady Muir Donors R.H. & P.A. Smith Mr Peter Kendaii/Far Nor A9 Ptv Ltd Readers Digest services Ptv Ltd The consulate General, Government of the Mr G.J. O'Neil Federal Republic of Germany Mr B.W. Wiesener Rogers Fibreglass PCy Ltd Mrs D. Packard cover photograoh Cerussite from the Proorietary Block 14 mine at Broken Hill, one of the finest soecimens in tne world. 1 The Australian Museum Trust Annual Report for the Year Ended 30 June 1986 President: R. Wllllams Deputy President: c. Bull, AM BSC Dlrector:D. J. C. Griffin, MSC PhD Director emeritus: J. w. Evans. MA SeD DSc Page contents Benefactors, Donors & Lizard Island Donors 1 A Museum for the Future 3 Highlights of the Year 4 Trustees of the Australian Museum 5·6 Scientific Review 6 Organisational Chart 6 President's Report 7·8 Director·s Report 9·10 Anthropology Division 11·12 Earth Sciences Division 12·1 4 Invertebrate zoology Division 14·18 vertebrate zoology Division 18·20 community Relations 20·21 Hnancial Report 22·33 Education Division 34·35 Exhibition Division 36·39 Planet of Minerals 37·39 Administration 40 staff Office 41 Equal Employment Opportunity 41 Materials conservation Division 42 Library 43 lizard Island Research Station 44 National PhOtographic Index of Australian Wildlife 45 The Australian Museum society 46 Australian Museum Volunteers 47 Staff 48·50 Publications 51·53 l Research Associates & Associates 54 2 A Museum for the Future Mission The mission of the Australian Museum is to increase we seek to be, and be seen as, a stimulating and and disseminate knowledge about and encourage responsive organisation to work in bY providing understanding of, our natural envionment and cultural appropriate career and personal development heritage, especially in the Australian region. AcQuisition opportunities, and opportunities for individual staff to and preservation of collections are central to the be involved in setting the Museum's objectives. Tho se ach ievement of the mission. respon~ible for managing programs will be delegated authonty for allocation of staff and financial resources. Philosophy Above all, we intend that the Museum be seen by The Australian Museum intends to continue to grow those who pay for it, those who use it and those who and develop as an organisation based in Sydney work in it, as progressive, entrepreneurial, relevant providing services to the public principally thoughout contributing to the community, credible, friendlY. ' New south wales, but with an active involvement in all reliable, ethical and exciting. of Australia and its neighbouring regions. We are determined to maintain our place as one of the world's • The Australian Museum is recognised as one of the ten major natural history museums. best natural history museums in the world. In seeking to encourage others to understand and • The Museum reaches more than one million people appreciate the world around us we shall continue each year, including one adult in seven in scientific/scholarly studies generally relevant to the metropolitan Sydney and just under half the Sydney collections, pursue effective educational programs and adult population over five years. exhibitions, where appropriate with others, and • Just under half the visitors to the Museum are tourists communicate with our audiences. from outside Sydney. In acQuiring and managing collections we will • Each year almost 100,000 children in school groups use emphasise foreseeable opportunities for research and the Museum and as many again visit our travelling communication to the public. we also intend to displays. preserve our collections and the information we have gained about them for the benefit of future • The Museum's collections are valued at over SSOM. generations. • In the last seven years we have completed eight new we intend that all people may have access to the semi-permanent exhibitions. A new travelling Museum and its facilities and the opportunity to share exhibition has been completed every two years. its accumulated knowledge. we intend to focus our resources on distinct programs and projects: evaluation of the success of these programs will be a central feature of management. In pursuing our objectives we will respect the rights and wishes of the people whose knowledge and material culture forms the basis of our cultural resources, not needlessly affect the environment and will consciously abide by legislation and conventions protecting wildlife and cultural heritage. As a major institution established by government and attracting increasing public interest and participation and achieving high standards of performance, we _will see greater financial support by government. we mtent to be responsive to the fundamental policies of government. We see financial and moral support for the Museum as a responsibility of the private citizen and the commercial sector, as well as of government. The Museum must be active in gaining and strengthening that support: we seek an obligation to account for that su~port and how it has advanced the Museum's ObJectives. We believe that it is also appropriate that th~ Museum undertake commercial enterprises relevant to 1ts objectives; we seek to recover costs of services where the consumer has a capacity to pay. 3 :· ~::;~: The opening of Planet of Minerals, the new mineral gallery Highlights was a major highlight of the past year. of the Year • completion and official opening of Planet of • Barry and Lois Gold man resigned after 10 years as Minerals exhibition sponsored by the Utah Directors of lizard Island Research Station. Foundation and The Australian Museum society. • Scientific Review identifies a dramatic increase in • Vo lunteer Museum guiding program the output of scientific research during the commenced. review period. • Blue Circle southern Cement sponsored the • Anthropology has increased its involvements in Human Evolution exhibition for $100,000. material culture and is now able to provide better documentated collections due to the • After three years of dedicated service Kristine efforts of Bettv Meehan who is dividing her time Klugman completed her term as President of the equally between work at the Museum and living Australian Museum trust. with Aboriginal communities. • Robyn Williams. executive producer of the ABC's Science Show was elected as the new Trust President. 4 Trustees Mr Robvn Wllliams producer I presenter of the ABC . science shOw since 1975. According to ABC surveys he IS the most popular of all ABC announcers. The program drew most praise in public submissions to the Dix committee. First emigrated from England in 1964; returned to England. worked for a short time with th~ ~BC as part­ time television actor· returned to Australia m 1972 and engaged by the ABc;'returned to England in 1974, then back to Australia in August 1975 to commence present career. Has rece1ved a citation from the United Nations Peace Program for an article about science and scientists. Edit ed book published 1983 'The Best of the Science Show·. He is a regular contributor to the Museum's magazine 'Australian Natural History'. He joined the Trust in 1984 and was elected President in 1986. Mr Col in Bull BSc, AM, was chairman of Directors at Johnson and Johnson Pty Ltd 1982-85. He is a Director of Manufacturers Mutual Insurance company and of Clyde Industries. He has been a member of the NSW Manufacturing Industry Advisory council, Chairman of the NSW Innovation centre, Executive Member of the Grocery Mr Robyn Willlams. President of the Australian Museum Trust Manufacturers of Australia Ltd and was Chairman in 1974 of that group. He has been a Trustee of the committee for Economic Development of Australia since 1975, council Member of the Chamber of Manufacturers of NSW Professor Char les Throsbv, MSc. Agr, Phd Professor since 1979 and was President in 1981·82. Throsby was born in 1939 and has been Professor of He is very interested in museums and was involved in Economics at Macquarie university since 1974. fund raising for the Power House. He joined the He was educated at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum Trust in 1985. London School of Economics.