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ANNUAL REPORT2008/2009The 2008/09 Committee of the History Council of WA was as follows: Dr Sue Graham-Taylor (President); Ms Moira Mulligan (Vice President); Ms Sue Hart (Secretary); Mr Nick Drew (Treasurer); Ms Julia Wallis (Executive Officer) and Committee Members: Mr Glen Bennett, Ms Dianne Davidson, Professor Ed Jaggard, Dr Bill Leadbetter, Ms Julie Lunn, Ms Ruth Marchant-James, Mr Robert Mitchell, Dr Felicity Morel-Ednie-Brown, Ms Merredith Southee, Dr Lise Summers and Ms Aileen Walsh. During the year the resignation of Dr Jean Chetkovich was accepted with regret and Ms Jane King was co-opted to stand in her place until the AGM. The History Council is still working hard, especially in the fields of advocacy and promoting history. We urge more of you to become involved as your expertise in drafting a letter or having input into an event would lighten the load of those members already participating and ensure we operate more effectively and efficiently. The major issues that have occupied the History Council this year were again history in schools (and more recently the Federal Government’s plan for a National Curriculum for History), the issue of legal deposit, the lack of funding for Western Australia’s cultural institutions (in particular the State Library, the WA Museum and the State Records Office), the need for a new State Archives Repository, the ongoing role and operation of the Battye Library, a range of heritage issues related to development in this State including issues such as the Fremantle Port development, the proposed Swan River Foreshore Redevelopment and the Kimberley Gas Hub. More recently we have been concerned at the introduction of reduced opening hours at the Art Gallery and at the WA Museum’s city and regional sites, in order to meet the State Government’s 3% efficiency dividend. The recent closure of the Fremantle History Museum, the only Museum that tells the story of early settlement and of post War migration to this State is another tragedy for history and heritage. These actions reflect a lack of commitment to and understanding of, the importance of history and heritage in our community. The continued inadequate funding of the Arts sector must be reversed. We have acted on behalf of our members to express our concern about these changes. We plan to hold a Summit on this issue in the near future. Please contact us if you wish to be involved.
The Battye Library Our aim of ensuring that the J S Battye Library of West Australian Historyremains adequately funded, that staff members have a good knowledge of the documentary heritage collections, that the collections are secure and well maintained and that there is a good research environment, is ongoing. In December 2008, the History Council, together with a range of other history groups (including the PHA, the Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc, the Royal WA Historical Society and Friends of the Battye Library) wrote to the CEO of the State Library, Margaret Allen concerning the results of our Users Survey. We met with Margaret Allen on 25 February 2009 to discuss our concerns and followed this up with a further letter signed by all the groups on 20 March 2009. Since that time there have been some positive changes including the opening of the Research Room with some welcome equipment including computers and a digital camera. A staff training and mentoring process has been implemented to increase the level of reference desk staff skills and knowledge. Catalogue-only computers are being introduced. Some of these changes address the issues we have highlighted, so we have decided to monitor the situation over the next few months to ensure that our concerns are addressed. We urge our members to give us their comments on the service and facilities in the library and to fill in feedback forms at the library. The State Records Office The History Council lobbied the Premier as well as the Minister for Culture and the Arts in attempting to get the Government to provide for a new and improved Archives Repository. Our history is at risk while records grow with no space to ensure that they are taken into secure and suitable conditions. This is an urgent situation and despite expressing an awareness of the issue, the Barnett Government has made no public commitment to funding for this much needed facility. This need will be a continued focus for the History Council. Heritage We lobbied hard to prevent the demolition of The Cliffe, but this important building was taken off the State Heritage Register. Despite wide support for its retention, its future still remains in doubt. We continue to be concerned about the loss of both built and cultural and environmental heritage around Western Australia. We were involved on the Northern Development Taskforce Community Advisory Committee and the President attended its site assessment Broome Workshop in an attempt to ensure that history and heritage was identified, documented and seen as a key factor in the site selection process for a Gas hub in the Kimberley. The Barnett Government halted this consultation process and selected the James Point site. During the term of the last Government, I represented the History Council at the Western Australian Heritage Summit. Nothing came of this event and although we have been involved in work that the National Trust is now undertaking to develop a Heritage Policy, there is still a need for new heritage legislation, realistic funding for heritage and heritage related education in the State. Other Issues The History Council continued to be involved with the framing of the National History Curriculum. In November and December 2008, Moira Mulligan, Glen Bennett and myself organised a National Curriculum Stakeholders meeting with key attendees being education specialists, university lecturers, high school and primary school teachers as well as those associated with the implementation of the national history curriculum. A National History Curriculum Forum followed on 18 February 2009 when Professor Stuart Mcintyre addressed the stakeholders and took questions. As a result of these meetings and consultations, a submission was sent to the National Curriculum Board in response to the National History Curriculum Framing Paper. We will continue to be engaged as the Curriculum development process continues. We worked with a range of other history groups, both Australia wide and local, to promote history in various ways over the year. Some of these were as follows: · 3 December 2008, End of Year Function at National Trust Headquarters, West Perth - Chairman of the National Trust Council, Jenny Gregory outlined the exciting events planned for the Trust’s Golden Jubilee Year in 2009. · 18 January 2009, History in the Pub, Albion Hotel, Cottesloe – a history in the pub event that was organised with the help of the Royal Western Australian Historical Society to honour Committee member, Ruth Marchant-James, author of Cottesloe: A Town of Distinction, the book that won the WA Premier’s Book Award for History in 2008. The event was a huge success and attracted over 100 people, including many members of the public who do not normally attend our events. · 24 May 2009, Northbridge History Studies Day, a joint event with the Northbridge History Project, held at Central TAFE. · July 2009 Panel Discussion of Interstate History Councils, Sunshine Coast University: Council member, Jean Chetkovich, from the Centre for WA History at the University of Western Australia represented the History Council of Western Australia at the panel discussion of interstate History Councils. The next AHA conference will be held in Perth in 2010 and the History Council of Western Australia has offered to assist in making this conference a success particularly with regard to the meeting of Interstate History Councils. It is hoped that a history in the pub event can be held to coincide with this event as the other History Councils have shown interest in the event.
We thank all retiring members — Dianne Davidson, Bill Leadbetter and Julie Lunn for their valuable work on the committee of the History Council.
I would also like to thank all members for their support for, and confidence in the History Council over the past year. In particular I would like to thank Jennie Carter for her work on the newsletter. Jennie undertakes this important role willingly and cheerfully despite past difficulties. We would be lost too without the support of our hard working Executive Officer Julia Wallis who is always a step ahead of the rest of us. Her work is invaluable to the effective operation of the Council and we acknowledge and value Julia’s dedication and efficiency. We would not be able to operate, as effectively without Executive support and for this we are very grateful for the continuing financial support of the WA History Foundation.
The Constitutional Centre of WA provides the History Council Committee with meeting space and we are grateful to Ms Betty O’Rourke and her staff for their ongoing support.
Dr Sue Graham-Taylor President September 2009 |