Farewell to Kevin Sumption

The highlights of a decade

Outgoing Director and CEO Kevin Sumption PSM in front of Action Stations, which opened in 2015. Image Andrew Frolows/ ANMM Form and function combine perfectly in Action Stations to showcase the importance of the Royal Australian Navy in our maritime history

Director and CEO Kevin Sumption left the Australian National Maritime Museum in February after ten years at the helm. Before he departed, we asked him to nominate what he considered to be the highlights of his tenure.

Action Stations The success of our navy warships pavilion, Action Stations, has been greatly satisfying. Back in 2015 this was a pioneering project that gave me an opportunity to work closely with the architects at FJMT. Looking back, this was a rare privilege and undoubtedly a career highlight for me. The building is significant, not just for its award-winning design, but because its form and function combine perfectly to showcase the importance of the Royal Australian Navy in our maritime history. The architecture, exhibition design and interactive cinema have garnered around 20 national and international awards.

Sydney Harbour Gallery and Ben Lexcen Terrace We are fortunate to be one of the few masterpiece buildings by architect Philip Cox left standing, and we have only slightly modified his design during my time. These modifications, the Sydney Harbour Gallery and the Ben Lexcen Terrace, give the museum a new transparency that allows the harbour and our floating fleet to be appreciated from inside the building.

Duyfken We have added to our fleet of wonderful floating vessels with the exceptional Duyfken replica. We are now investigating new ways to get the fleet vessels active on the harbour and around the country.

‘Developing our collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maritime heritage was my most important goal when I took up this role in 2012’

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03 01 The helm (steering wheel) of HMAS AE1 on top of the conning tower. It was attached to the submarine’s forward periscope pedestal. Image Find the Men of AE1 Ltd 02 Developing the museum’s collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maritime heritage has been a priority during Kevin Sumption’s directorship. Pictured is Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns), which showcases works by Alick Tipoti. Image Andrew Frolows/ANMM 03 On Their Own: Britain’s child migrants resonated strongly with visitors during its Australian and British tours. Former child migrants Connie (left) and Beryl Merrick visited the exhibition in Albury, NSW, in 2013, and were shocked and excited to find a photo of themselves and their three brothers arriving in Fremantle, WA, in 1950. Image Kim Tao/ANMM

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collection Developing our collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander maritime heritage was my most important goal when I took up this role in 2012. Now we have a world-class collection of art and artefacts that speaks to the central role played by lakes, rivers and oceans in First Nations societies, histories and traditions. And with these collections we have gone on to build multi-award-winning exhibitions such as Gapu-Mon_uk Saltwater – Journey to Sea Country and Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns).

On Their Own – Britain’s child migrants I arrived in Australia as a migrant in 1991, having lived in Cyprus, the Netherlands, South Africa and Wales. So it’s not surprising that the stories of migrants and their arrival in Australia were deeply personal to me, or that the success of our On Their Own exhibition was so important. On Their Own focused on the stories of British child migrants to this country, and following a tour of the UK and Australia it had a profound impact and helped encourage formal recognition of the plight of child migrants.

Digital games Early in my museum career I was a curator of computing sciences, and so I have always had a passion for all things digital. The development of our multi-award-winning online education games The Voyage, Cook’s Voyages and the recently launched Wreck Seekers are highlights for me.

Protecting HMAS Perth and finding AE1 Over the past decade our researchers and maritime archaeologists have documented the deterioration of HMAS Perth due to illegal salvage, and their detailed research led directly to the Indonesian Government’s agreement to protect the wreck site. Then, in 2017, the museum was part of the team that discovered HMAS AE1 – Australia’s first submarine and its first naval casualty of war, which was lost in 1914. Since then the museum has been involved in documenting the wreck and analysing the findings. It has been a source of great pride to me that the museum’s work has led to greater protection for these significant wreck sites, as well as helped bring closure for many families.

Identification of Cook’s Endeavour It was a huge privilege to be able to announce, right at the end of my time at the museum, that the site known as RI 2394 in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, is the location of the remains of HMB Endeavour. It was scuttled by the British 244 years ago and lay forgotten for over two centuries. This announcement was the culmination of a 22-year program of archival and archaeological research by the museum’s experts and their collaborators in Newport. Based on their findings, I am satisfied that this is the final resting place of one of the most significant and contentious vessels in Australia’s maritime history. It’s an important historical moment, as this vessel’s role in exploration, astronomy and science applies not only to Australia, but also Aotearoa New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.