Welcome to the first edition of the eNews for 2020. The AICCM hit the ground running with Executive returning early from leave to initiate a response to the bushfire crisis with Blue Shield Australia (BSA). AICCM has joined a roundtable of representatives from GLAM Peak Bodies, which has been meeting regularly to discuss the response
The Emerging Conservators Special Interest Group is AICCM’s newest SIG. The group began as an online network for new conservation professionals in Australia, created by Fran Paterson in 2016, run through the Emerging Conservators Australia Facebook group. In order to plan for the coming years as SIG co-convenors we sent an online survey to our
ACT National Gallery of Australia The Conservation department at the National Gallery of Australia has been persevering through the several natural disasters that have hit the ACT, including bushfire smoke and hail. Staff have devoted a lot of time to assessing the risk of smoke damage and undertaking research and analysis on the impact it
James Mollison AO passed away at his home in North Melbourne on 19 January aged 88. James was an education officer at the National Gallery of Victoria early in his working life, then Director of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, and then founding Director of the new Australian National Gallery (now National Gallery of Australia,
I did not know David well, but our various encounters over the years were memorable most notably for his great generosity of spirit. He had an extraordinary enthusiasm for tackling the challenges that conservation projects regularly throw at conservators. He clearly delighted in working through solutions, informed by his deep technical knowledge and innovative thinking.
What first attracted you to a career in conservation? How did you get started? The advertisement for studying corrosion of shipwreck materials caught my eye and I got the job in the WA Museum Materials Conservation Laboratories in Fremantle in 1978, starting on my 30th birthday. What does a typical workday look like at the moment?
David was a visionary, but one with a practical twist … a staunch advocate for the scientific conservation of cultural materials … a valued collaborator … and a steadfast friend. I met David through my wife, Helen. Helen was an archivist at the Australian War Memorial, located at its Mitchell Annex where David and Robin
The recent sudden passing of David Hallam has come as sad news to the many individuals who had worked with him. For me the loss is very direct, for he was the conservator who found employment for me before I had graduated, and continued his mentorship until his untimely passing. Deciding what to say about
A joint Christmas / end-of-year party was held on 11 December, together with Preservation Australia at their premises in Annandale. This was a special event to commemorate Preservation Australia’s last year of trading. We have another ‘Opportunities Abroad’ event pencilled in for March with speakers already lined up. There are sufficient speakers for a second
Claire Rowson has resigned from her position at the Perth Mint after nearly 8.5 years and, whilst sad to be leaving WA, is excited to be taking up a Sydney-based position with ICS, commencing in March. Ian MacLeod returned recently from a week in Point Cook in Victoria, working on conserving the remains of a WWII Spitfire