Kay has worked as a professional conservator for nearly 40 years. She first worked at several of the major institutions in Sydney, including the Australian Museum, the Powerhouse Museum (MAAS) and the State Library of New South Wales. She then moved into the private sector and remained there, apart from a time as Director of Museums Australia (NSW) in the late 1990s.
In 2004 she established Preservation Australia, which later included Conservation Resources the product side of the business. She has been involved in Disaster Preparedness and Response since authoring ‘Be Prepared: Guidelines for Small Museums for Writing a Disaster Preparedness Plan’ in 2000 for the Heritage Collections Council.
Preservation Australia has worked with regional and community museums for many years, focusing on all aspects of conservation, but particularly Disaster Preparedness. Kay has developed many workshops on Disaster Preparedness and has delivered them all around Australia and SE Asia.
Kay was President of AICCM when it became an Associate Member of Blue Shield and has since worked with Blue Shield on different projects.
While Kay is closing the Preservation Australia studio in Sydney, along with Conservation Resources, she will continue to work as a consultant on a very part-time basis.
