Vision

Curiosity

BY NEIL WYKES OAM AND DEBBIE MILLS

Dear Members, From the city to the regions, we are busy preparing to roll out the welcome mat for the annual Australian Heritage Festival. The theme for this year’s Festival is ‘curiosity’. We hope you will join us to enjoy the exciting selection of talks, walks, open days, exhibitions, fairs and more designed to spark our interest to wonder, investigate and learn about the world around us. Join us across April and May to celebrate all things heritage.

The Festival brings heritage to life for everyone. It’s an opportunity to engage current and new audiences, reach into communities in every state and territory and link heritage across the country. A highlight of this year’s Festival is the 28th annual National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards on Friday, 13 May 2022. We are honoured to lead the industry’s most significant and highly anticipated celebration of outstanding heritage practice. The Awards acknowledge the hard work and dedication of individuals, community groups and organisations working on projects big and small.

Speaking of awards, following last year’s AGM, we’ve been travelling across the state to formally congratulate recipients of the National Trust Honours Awards 2021 in person. First stop was Sydney, followed by the Hunter Region, Dubbo, Goulburn and the Blue Mountains. It’s always a pleasure to visit our properties and volunteers and see the enthusiasm and ability to create memorable experiences for everyone. We still have a few more stops to make and are looking forward to seeing our volunteers at these special events.

We couldn’t facilitate the Festival, our Awards, or any of the work we do without an understanding of what you and the wider heritage community find important and interesting. Because priorities change, we are conducting research to help us find out what really matters to our diverse community now and into the future. This research will help us improve our programs and services and help us understand how people prefer to hear from us, how often, and the topics that matter to them. It will also help us fulfil our vision to grow members, supporters, volunteers and new audiences; this is key to bringing heritage to life now and for future generations.

An email survey will be delivered to a broad sample of members. If you receive the survey, please take a moment to fill it out, as we truly value your thoughts, ideas and feedback.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to enjoying this year’s Heritage Festival with you.

Best wishes,

Neil Wykes OAM, President

Debbie Mills, CEO