6 minute read
Foundation and Members news
Donors make a difference
Foundation news
Our donors to the Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation provide vital support to the operations of the museum. During these difficult times, their generosity has been overwhelming, writes Foundation Manager Marisa Chilcott.
MANY DONORS ALLOW THE MUSEUM to direct their donations where they are most needed. This flexibility allows us to respond to unexpected opportunities. One such opportunity occurred recently, when the museum was approached to become the new home for the Duyfken replica.
A Dutch addition to our fleet
The Duyfken replica was built in Western Australia some 400 years after the original set sail from Banda, Indonesia, in search of ‘south and east lands’ beyond the furthest reaches of the world known to Europeans. It eventually reached the west coast of what is now the Cape York Peninsula, where its captain, Willem Janszoon, charted 300 kilometres of its shores – becoming the first European to map the Australian coastline. While the ship itself has been donated to the museum, its voyage from Perth to the other side of the continent has taken time and money. Thanks to the support of our donors, the Foundation was able to fund some of the costs of this journey. Duyfken is due to arrive at the museum by the end of 2020. Once it has settled in, we plan to open it to the public.
Inspiring a love of learning A core value of the museum is education. This festive season, we invite you to help inspire a love for learning by supporting a disadvantaged child. Every donation over $60 will help a student supported by the Harding Miller Education Foundation (HMEF) to access the museum. ‘Many of our students have never been to a museum before. This opportunity allows our students to broaden their understanding of history, marine sciences and conservation,’ says Cara Varian, CEO of HMEF.
The Welcome Wall
You can also honour your family’s journey to start a new life in Australia by including their name on the Welcome Wall. The next panel will be unveiled in late 2021 or early 2022. Gift certificates are available, and we also welcome donations to support the registration of migrants who could not otherwise afford to be included. All donations support the Migration Heritage Fund, which furthers our work in honouring migration stories. For more details, please see sea.museum/welcomewall .
Inside this issue of Signals you will find a reply-paid envelope in which to forward your donation, which could help: • inspire a disadvantaged student by supporting their access to the museum
• support the Duyfken replica’s relocation and establishment in Sydney • support the museum’s Migration Heritage Fund, to continue showcasing the stories that have made
Australia the rich multicultural society it is today. See the insert in this edition for more information.
How to donate
• Direct deposit
BSB 062 000
Account 16169309
Please ensure your name is listed on the transaction. • Send a cheque made out to ANMM Foundation.
A reply-paid envelope is included in this issue • Or call Marisa Chilcott, Foundation Manager, on 02 9298 3619
Your gift will ensure that a disadvantaged child, who may never have visited a museum before, can be inspired this festive season. With each donation of $60 to the Inspire a Student campaign, family passes will be distributed to students supported by the Harding Miller Education Foundation.
Students explore naval history and culture in the museum’s Action Stations exhibition. ANMM image
We need your support more than ever
COVID-19 has triggered dramatic changes in the operations of the Australian National Maritime Museum and many longstanding plans have had to be adjusted or shelved.
With the loss of up to $10M in self-generated revenue, roughly a third of our budget, the museum is looking to the Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation – and its donors – for assistance.
A recent study found that most museum-goers are unaware that museums are facing challenges due to COVID-19.1 Yet, when asked how they felt the loss of museums would affect them, either through closures or dramatically reduced services, most said they would be devastated.
Our museums help keep our collective memory alive. If we lost even one of these important institutions, it would be like someone had blown out a candle or turned out the lights on a vital piece of our society. The Foundation is requesting your help to: • Allow disadvantaged families to access the museum for free
• Support the Migration
Heritage Fund • Acquire important objects for the National Maritime
Collection
• Assist with the conservation of precious objects
Your tax-deductible donation will help with the museum’s recovery from COVID-19.
For more information go to sea. museum/donate or contact Foundation Manager Marisa Chilcott on 02 9298 3619 or email marisa.chilcott@sea.museum
Matt Lee, the museum’s new Manager – VIP Relations. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM
Introducing Matt Lee
Our new Manager, VIP Relations
Many museum Members and regular visitors would be familiar with long-serving staff member Matt Lee. After managing volunteers and front of house, overseeing the museum’s Store for two decades and acting as an assistant director, Matt tells us about his new role as Manager – VIP Relations.
THOSE OF YOU WITH LONG MEMORIES will recall that I started at the museum more than 26 years ago, working in the café. As a new migrant, I got a job making sandwiches and trying to learn how to make coffee. I apologise to those of you who had to try those first cups of coffee. Mud would have tasted better! Luckily, I got better over time. Working in the café, and then later the museum store, was an excellent start to my museum career. I got to hear the stories of our visitors and Members and understand why they loved being a part of the museum. These days, institutions cannot function without their volunteers and members.
That is why I am so interested in my new role, which includes looking after the museum’s VIPs – among them government and industry partners, previous members of the museum’s Council and high-profile people in areas of maritime industries and pastimes. A most important category of VIPs are our Members and volunteers, who have a strong interest in the museum. Many of you have been Members for a long time. Many of you are also generous donors and have helped us to secure funds to purchase and conserve items for the collection or enable us to put on an exhibition. I will work closely with the Australian National Maritime Foundation – an entity set up to raise money for the museum and its activities. Many people don’t realise that the museum, and its Foundation, are charities. We receive funding from the federal government, which enables us to keep the lights on, the ships in the water and the doors open. It’s our self-generated revenue – through ticket and retail sales, venue hire, sponsorship and membership fees – that allows us to develop and stage world-class exhibitions and to tell Australia’s maritime history and contribute to its future. I’ll be working closely with Oliver Isaacs, Membership Manager, to get to know you and to hear what interests you about the museum, and to let you know about upcoming projects and possible acquisitions. Until I get to meet you in person, I would like to say a big thank you for giving your time, funds or both to the museum. Some people donate to a certain appeal or fundraiser; many of you volunteer or give monthly; and some of you have left a legacy to the museum in your wills. I look forward to meeting you over coffee at the museum soon. I have come full circle – making coffee for our Members again. Hopefully it’s better than 26 years ago. If you want to contact me to talk about my new role or ways in which you can help to support the museum, then please don’t hesitate to email me at matt.lee@sea.museum or phone on 02 9298 3717.
