SOUTH AUSTRALIA _____________________ TWENTY SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HISTORY TRUST of SOUTH AUSTRALIA FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2007 History Trust of South Australia Torrens Parade Ground Victoria Drive Adelaide SA 5000 GPO Box 1836 Adelaide SA 5001 DX 464 Adelaide Telephone: +61 8 8203 9888 Facsimile: +61 8 8203 9883 (General) +61 8 8203 9889 (Executive) Website: www.history.sa.gov.au Email: [email protected] This report is prepared by the Directorate of the History Trust of South Australia. ISSN 1832-8482 Contents Background 1 Organisational Chart 2 Chairperson's Report 3 Chief Executive’s Report 4 Highlights 2006-07 7 Achievements addressing the State Strategic Plan 8 Principal Objectives 2007–2008 9 Major Issues Facing the History Trust 2007–2008 10 Divisional Report 11 Community History Unit 11 Migration Museum 16 National Motor Museum 20 South Australian Maritime Museum 24 Marketing and Sponsorship 28 Business Services 35 APPENDICES 46 1. Board of Trustees 47 2. Management Personnel 47 3. Staff as at 30 June 2006 48 4. Advisory Committees 49 5. Honorary Consultants/Valuers 49 6. Migration Museum Foundation Committee Members 49 7. Volunteer Services 50 8. Key Performance Indicators 2006–2007 51 9. Grants Obtained 51 10. Publications 52 11. Unpublished Conference Papers 52 12. Museums Accreditation and Grants Program 53 13. South Australian History Fund 55 14. Exhibition Program 56 15. Financial Statement for the year ended 30 June 2007 61 1 Background Our Vision Our vision is to promote the value, understanding and enjoyment of history. Our Mission Our mission is to encourage and work with the people of South Australia to: • better understand our rich and distinctive history and • enhance our sense of identity and belonging by making history a living and exciting element in the life of the State. Who We Are The History Trust of South Australia is a statutory authority reporting to Parliament through the Minister for the Arts. It was established in 1981 under the History Trust of South Australia Act (1981, 1995, 2005) to encourage the research and public presentation of South Australian history and to safeguard South Australia’s material heritage. The Trust’s central administration is located at the Torrens Parade Ground in central Adelaide, but its main public face is presented by three history museums — the Migration Museum, National Motor Museum and South Australian Maritime Museum. Changing exhibitions are also presented in the History Trust Exhibition Gallery at the Parade Ground. The Trust also manages an important community history program to assist community museums and historical researchers. The History Trust’s Board of eight trustees reports to the Minister for the Arts. What We Do Under the History Trust of South Australia Act (1981, 1995, 2005) the Trust is responsible for the following: • researching and interpreting South Australia’s history; • preserving and exhibiting South Australia’s material history; • managing museums of its own and assisting the State’s community museums; • encouraging and assisting the work of South Australia’s historians and historical societies; • providing policy advice to the Minister for the Arts on issues of relevance to South Australia’s history and material culture. These responsibilities are realised through the following programs: • managing three museums and a changing exhibitions gallery which interpret aspects of South Australia’s history: ¾ the Migration Museum – which preserves and interprets the history of migration to and settlement in South Australia; ¾ the National Motor Museum – which manages and interprets a collection representing Australia’s motoring history; ¾ the South Australian Maritime Museum – which preserves a collection of maritime heritage objects and interprets the maritime history of South Australia; ¾ the History Trust Exhibition Gallery – which presents exhibitions reflecting aspects of the history of South Australia and the city of Adelaide; • providing advice and assistance to South Australia’s 200 community history museums and 150 historical societies, as well as the many individuals who research South Australian history, through the Community History Unit. The Unit also administers two grants programs – the Museums Accreditation and Grants Program (for community museums) and the South Australian History Fund (for South Australian history publications, projects and research); • managing the State Historical Collection; • promoting South Australian history and the activities of the History Trust’s museums. 2 Organisational Chart History Trust of South Australia as at 30 June 2006 Premier and Minister for the Arts The Hon Mike Rann, MP Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts The Hon John Hill, MP Board of Trustees Chairman Phillip Broderick Trustees Margaret Allen Alison Mackinnon Susan Magarey Bryan Moulds Minerva Nasser–Eddine Philip Satchell 1x vacancy Chief Executive Margaret Anderson Director Director Director Manager Business Manager Migration Museum National Motor SA Maritime Museum Marketing Managers Community History & Deputy Director Museum Unit History Trust of SA Kevin Jones Kym Cheek Rebecca Rudzinski Kym Hulme Donna Tims Kate Walsh Vivienne Szekeres 3 Chairperson's Report The Hon John Hill, MP Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts Dear Minister I am pleased to present the 27th Annual Report of the History Trust of South Australia, pursuant to section 20 of the History Trust of South Australia Act (1981, 1995, 2005), for the year ended 30 June 2007. The Board is pleased to record the continuing success of the Trust in achieving its objectives, contributing to the cultural and economic well-being of the community. Levels of attendance were maintained at the Trust’s museums, while an expanded audience in regional South Australia and interstate enjoyed access to one of a number of touring programs. Community programs were a particular area of success, with more than 45 000 South Australians attending this year’s SA History Week. Also pleasing was increased usage of the Trust’s on-line facility. This is an area flagged for future development by the Board. I express thanks to my fellow Board members and to the Chief Executive and staff of the History Trust. The Board also wishes to thank you for your continuing support and interest. PHILLIP BRODERICK Chair 4 Chief Executive’s Report It has been another very successful year for the History Trust, with overall visitor numbers maintained at the various sites, despite the inevitable disruption of a major redevelopment at the Migration Museum. Overall site attendance was 306 257, which represents a small increase over last year’s total. Particularly pleasing was a substantial increase in our regional and interstate audience, reflecting our capacity this year to tour several exhibitions. An additional 112 254 visitors viewed one of the touring programs. On-line usage also increased to 233 370 – an increase of 45 per cent – as did the number of student visits to Trust sites (up to 40 866). A particular highlight of the year was the huge success of the fourth SA History Week. We estimate that over 45 000 South Australians participated in at least one event during SA History Week, making this year’s event the biggest ever. There was also very strong media interest in the program, in both the metropolitan and regional press. The steady growth in our audience and the success of events like SA History Week, underlines the strength of community interest in history and confirms the role that history plays in building communities. Building communities – History plays its part One of the great strengths of the History Trust is its strong base in the South Australian community. Over the years the Trust has built extensive networks linking regional and metropolitan South Australians, South Australia’s many immigrant communities and Indigenous South Australians with our programs and with each other. The Trust also has a commitment to working in partnership with communities and with other agencies with allied interests, to present unique events like SA History Week, or the annual State History Conference. Programs like these encourage a sense of belonging and build a strong sense of place, both elements in fostering social cohesion. Community partnerships – fostering creativity This year’s program of exhibitions and events reflected the Trust’s strong commitment to community partnerships. During the year Trust staff produced three new long–term and seven temporary exhibitions, three of which were designed to tour to regional South Australia and interstate. This brought the total of exhibitions on tour to eight, which is the largest touring component the Trust has ever managed. All of these exhibitions were produced with external funding and most were made available to recipients at either no cost, or at very minimal cost to cover transport. Two of these touring exhibitions, Wrecked! Tragedy and the Southern Seas and The River: Life on the Murray–Darling, were produced and toured with the assistance of the Visions of Australia program. The River was produced in partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum. The Trust could not have produced these exhibitions without Visions funding and certainly could not have sent them on tour. We were especially pleased therefore that the National Motor Museum was successful in gaining a further Visions grant to develop the touring exhibition Off the Beaten Track: a Journey Across the Nation. This exhibition will retrace the route of the first motor journey across the continent from south to north, with an exhibition based around the original vehicle, the Talbot, from the Museum’s collection. This exhibition will visit regional and remote communities north of Adelaide to Darwin in 2008, marking the centenary of this extraordinary journey. Since it is now too fragile to drive the route, the Talbot will travel in an especially constructed trailer, which will also house the exhibition. 5 The success of these travelling exhibitions and the pleasing growth in audiences resulting from them, underlines the value of investment in exhibition production and touring.