PREFACE

Our 50 Treasures Project celebrates the 50th anniversary of James Cook University (JCU) in 2020. This exhibition is the culmination of two years (and thousands of hours) of hard work, which began long before we found ourselves facing a worldwide pandemic. The opportunity to capitalise on our many Special Collections for JCU’s 50th birthday was too good to miss. Now discoverable in NQHeritage@JCU, our Special Collections online repository, these exceptional digital versions of the treasures, accompanying videos, social media posts and much more, provide an enduring legacy that will live on well beyond this project — inspiring future generations of students, researchers, and community members to go deeper and explore further.

The Library is fortunate to have collections of unique and rare resources — including artworks — of regional and national significance, which describe life in the tropics, or, as Aristotle called it, the torrid zone. The 50 Treasures — Celebrating 50 Years of James Cook University project embodies these collections and culminates in an exhibition supported by our prestigious partner, the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.

The process of selecting just 50 treasures from such wide and diverse collections was challenging and relied heavily upon the knowledge and expertise of our Special Collections Manager, Bronwyn McBurnie. However, without the significant contribution of past JCU Librarians — such as Helen Mayes, Ron Store, and Jean Dartnall — whose work contributed to the establishment and continuing growth of the Special Collections, much would have been lost. This unique, once in a lifetime exhibition would not have been possible without the enthusiasm and proficiency of our Special Collections team. Thanks must also go to the wider JCU Library staff. They have all worked tirelessly, researched diligently, consulted widely, and collaborated extensively. Their passion for this project — which now provides us with a permanent online exhibition — is to be commended. With gratitude I salute our 40 contributing authors (many of them JCU alumni), who worked collaboratively with us and gave of their time and expertise freely, during a period of enormous change. They have created content that provides readers with an informative, historical context and distinctive point of view on the significance of the treasures, expanding their understanding and enticing them to discover more.

In 1977, a major endowment was made by Lady Delamothe in memory of her late husband, the Hon. Sir Peter Delamothe O.B.E. This proved to be the initial catalyst for further donations, which continued to enrich the collections over the ensuing decades. Without the ongoing support of the community and our generous donors and their families, this project and exhibition would not have been possible. I thank you sincerely.

I hope you enjoy this exhibition and take this unique opportunity to experience our shared history by seeing (and connecting with) rare and often fragile first-hand records, artefacts and artworks, focussing on the themes of people, place, knowledge and legacy. New technologies allow us to reach a wider audience, but they cannot replace the powerful experience of seeing the real thing.

The Special Collections are at the heart of our library and we strive to create innovative ways to open the gates and share our treasures with a global audience. I encourage you to visit us, either in our libraries or through NQHeritage@JCU, to continue your journey through hundreds of years of history as you encounter explorers and creators of all kinds. I hope you gain insights into life on the land, in our towns and on the Great Barrier Reef.

Helen Hooper

Director, Library and Information Services James Cook University

Page from Rose Popham’s Autograph Album (1913)

Pages from the Victorian Lady’s Sketchbook (1888 - 1892)