Celebrating 30 years of support

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The vital role our benefactors play

Many significant items in the museum’s collection have been donated by our supporters or purchased using funds given by them. Matt Lee outlines some of the ways in which people can give to the museum.

01 Sisters Wendy and Charlotte Fairweather with the 1884 portrait of SY Aurora, 2016. ANMM Collection 00050156 Gift from Captain Fairweather’s great-grandchildren in memory of their father James S Fairweather 1926–2015

02 Heroes of Colonial Encounters – Bennelong (2017), from a collection of 15 portraits by Canberra-based Indigenous artist Helen S Tiernan, was acquired by the museum from funds donated to the Foundation by museum Members. ANMM Collection 00055145 All images Andrew Frolows/ANMM unless otherwise stated

Many of the museum’s most important objects have either been donated by our Members or acquired via funds given to enable their purchase

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THE MUSEUM WILL CELEBRATE ITS 30TH BIRTHDAY later this year. We are planning ways to commemorate this achievement and reflect on how the museum has grown over the past three decades. One thing is certain – the museum would not be what is it today, or have achieved what it has, without our Members and volunteers, many of whom have been with us from the very beginning. I would like to thank you all for your support of the museum, whether it has been over 30 years or 30 days. I also wish to share examples of some of the many ways our Members and friends have aided the museum over the years – some have supported significant acquisitions for the National Maritime Collection, many have donated family heirlooms and others have tirelessly given their time as volunteers.

In 2011, the museum acquired a beautiful 1884 ship painting, with financial assistance from sisters Wendy and Charlotte Fairweather and their families, in memory of their father James S Fairweather. The work, commissioned by its captain, their greatgreat-grandfather James Fairweather, features SY Aurora, on which both Sir Douglas Mawson and Sir Ernest Shackleton voyaged to Antarctica. The painting was a great addition to the museum’s rich collection of Australia’s Antarctic exploration objects. Another treasure of our collection, generously donated by long-term Members Helen Isbister and her late husband Peter, is a beautiful wooden ‘captain’s chair’ made from timber salvaged from the Dunbar, which was wrecked off Sydney Heads in 1857. The Dunbar plays a significant part in Australia’s maritime history and this piece of furniture, which had been in their family for generations, symbolises the impact the wreck had on Sydney’s community. As well as managing the relationships with our museum Members, I also help to look after two other levels of museum supporter groups – our Chairman’s Circle and Benefactors.

The Chairman’s Circle is a special group of donors who provide vital support to the museum to help it preserve and promote Australia’s rich maritime heritage. In return, these donors become more involved in the life of the museum, are able to access our collections and meet our dedicated team of curators, and receive invitations to exclusive VIP events and cruises on our historic vessels.

People can join the Chairman’s Circle for three years by contributing $3,000 (or annual instalments of $1,000 a year over three years.)

01 Australian submarine HMAS AE1 was lost with all hands off the coast of Papua New Guinea in 1914. This 1914–15 Star, posthumously awarded to AE1’s Signalman George Dance, was purchased in 2014 through a bequest. ANMM Collection 00054005 with assistance through the ANMM Foundation with support from Basil Jenkins 02 Dr Keith Jones at the tiller of his Bluebird yacht, Deryn Glas, on Sydney Harbour in the 1960s. In 2017, Dr Jones left the museum a financial bequest to document, collect and communicate the history of Australian Bluebird yachts. Courtesy Helen Jones and Gavin Jones 03 The captain’s chair constructed of timber salvaged from the Dunbar wreck. ANMM Collection 00046922 Gift from Helen and Peter Isbister

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Our Benefactors are passionate supporters who have included the museum in their estate planning. This support has enabled the museum to make significant acquisitions over the years, such as those pictured. Leaving a gift to the museum in your will is a considered way to benefit the community, showing forethought, planning and commitment. People from all walks of life leave gifts both large and small to museums and galleries, recognising the role such institutions play in our lives. It can be a way to make the type of gift that we are unable to make during our lifetime. A bequest (or gift) to the museum can take many forms, including cash, real estate, life insurance policies or trusts. It can also include cultural property such as books, maps or maritime-related works of art. A bequest can be used for various purposes, including developing and managing the collection, conservation, research, education or acquiring new objects. Whatever area of the museum your bequest supports, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have created a legacy for those who live after you. As each individual’s financial and family circumstances are unique, please discuss all options with your solicitor or financial adviser to determine the best option for your situation. For those considering a gift or remembering the museum in their legacy, we can ensure that your legal representatives receive the correct wording to include in documentation. If you make a bequest to the museum in your will, do let us know about it. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence and we will respect your wishes if you choose to remain anonymous. Those who include the museum in their estate and do not request anonymity are acknowledged as major benefactors to the museum and are recognised on our Supporters Board next to the museum foyer. Benefactors are also invited to special events, including harbour cruises on the museum’s fleet, access to parts of the museum and its vessels that are not open to the general public, lunch with the museum Director or special guests, exclusive curator-led tours of exhibitions and the opportunity to engage with like-minded supporters. The museum is always deeply grateful for the generosity of all its supporters, particularly those who donate funds, documents or artefacts or who remember the museum in their estate.

To find out more about how you can support the museum, donate, join the Chairman’s Circle or leave a bequest, please email me at giving@sea.museum. We look forward to including our Members and supporters in all that we do over the next 30 years, and we hope to you see you at the museum soon.

Please see the flyer in this issue for ways in which you can support the museum through donations to various projects.

The museum is always deeply grateful for the generosity of all its supporters