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Expertise View a Printer Friendly Version ?

Within our staff the Trust has an extensive resource of expertise on the subjects listed below. We can organise spokespeople and interviews, for further details please contact our Publicists on telephone 02 96928366 or email media@ho.hht.nsw.gov.au.

GENERAL HISTORY OF SYDNEY
Caroline Butler Bowdon | Megan Martin | Susan Hunt | Inara Walden

GENERAL ARCHITECTURE, DECORATIVE ARTS, FINE ARTS
Gary Crockett | James Broadbent | Megan Martin | Ann Toy

CONVICTS
Gary Crockett | Samantha Fabry | John Petersen

EARLY COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
James Broadbent | Robert Griffin | Scott Carlin

COLONIAL ART
James Broadbent | Megan Martin | Ann Toy

DECORATIVE ARTS
James Broadbent | Megan Martin | Resource Centre | Scott Carlin | Ann Toy | Robert Griffin

CONVICT AND GENERAL COLONIAL HISTORY
Megan Martin | Inara Walden 

COLONIAL FURNITURE
Ann Toy | Scott Carlin | James Broadbent | Robert Griffin | Joanna Nicholas

GARDENS
James Broadbent | Scott Carlin (EBH only) | Dave Gray (practical) | Peter Watts | Fran Jackson (practical) | Robert Griffin (GH only) | Joanna Nicholas

CENTENNIAL PARK
Inara Walden

MUSEUM PHILOSOPHY
Peter Watts | James Broadbent | Susan Hunt  | John Petersen

HERITAGE CONSERVATION PHILOSOPHY
Robert Griffin | John Petersen

20TH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
Caroline Butler- Bowdon

FINE ART
Susan Hunt | Joanna Nicholas

CULTURAL HISTORY
Gary Crockett | Sally Webster | Suzanne Bravery | Caleb Williams | Samantha Fabry | Susan Hunt

KITCHEN GARDEN
Suzanne Bravery

HOUSEKEEPING/CONSERVATION IN PRACTICE
Suzanne Bravery | Matthew Scott | Robert Griffin | Tamara Lavrencic

WENTWORTHS AND HOMEBUSH BAY
Suzanne Bravery

COLONIAL CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Caleb Williams

BUSHRANGERS
Caleb Williams

SENIOR STAFF
James Broadbent | Susan Hunt | Nicholas Malaxos | Charmaine Moldrich |Helen Temple | Peter Watts 

 

ANN TOY - General Architecture, Decorative Arts, Fine Arts, Colonial Art, Colonial Furniture
Ann Toy is a curator and art historian who has a special interest in Australian and European decorative arts, historic interiors and the history of Chinese immigrants in Australia. Formerly with The National Gallery of Victoria where she organised a number of exhibitions of Australian contemporary paintings and European and Australian decorative arts. Ann is currently working for the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales as Supervising Curator of Government House Sydney. Her past curatorial responsibilities include Vaucluse House, Susannah Place Museum and Elizabeth Bay House. She is currently involved in researching the history and development of Government House, its collection and vice-regal patronage.

 

CALEB WILLIAMS - Cultural History, Colonial Crime and Punishment, Bushrangers
Caleb Williams works at the Justice & Police Museum where he has been responsible for numerous exhibitions and publications that overarch the areas of social history, criminal sub-culture, policing, prisons and law in NSW. Some more recent exhibitions include Gangs: Subcultures of the Street, Tattoo: A History of the Decorated Body, Protest! Environmental Activism in NSW and Hard Boiled! The Detective in Popular Culture. Caleb is interested in 19th century discourses about the nature of criminality (the ideas of phrenology and Lombroso's belief in the 'born criminal', for example). He also follows contemporary literary and pop cultural debates about youth culture, crime and policing very closely.

 

CAROLINE BUTLER-BOWDEN - General History of Sydney, 20th Century Architecture and Urbanism
Caroline Butler-Bowdon joined the Museum of Sydney on the site of first Government House as a curator in 1998. She was previously Curatorial Services Coordinator at the Art Gallery of NSW. At the Museum of Sydney her work centres specifically on heritage sites of Sydney and more generally on architecture and heritage of Australia. In 1999 Caroline curated Art Deco - Discover the Style of the City at the Museum of Sydney. In 1998 she co-curated The Sydney Opera House Story. In 2000/01 Caroline co-curated Sydney at Federation also at the Museum of Sydney. Caroline has published images of urbanity and architecture in Australia and convened public programs on Sydney's urban history including a series of conferences and a subsequent publication, entitled Debating the City.

 

DAVID GRAY - Gardens (practical)
David joined the Trust in 1989 as head gardener at Vaucluse House and now holds the position of head gardener to the Trust.  David has worked as a gardener at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. He has certificates for horticulture from the City of Guilds and Royal Horticultural Society, London and National Certificate of Horticulture in Landscape from the Merrist Wood and Agricultural College in the UK, as well as a Surrey County (UK) Certificate in Horticulture.

 

GARY CROCKETT - General Architecture, Decorative Arts, Fine Arts, Convicts, Cultural History
Gary Crockett is Curator of Elizabeth Farm. Gary has also worked in curatorial roles dealing with the interpretation, conservation and management of Susannah Place Museum, Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Rouse Hill estate and Museum of Sydney. He has developed and curated exhibitions on colonial, medical and legal history; convict life and culture; historical archaeology; immigration; as well as a wide range of specialist displays and installations.

 

INARA WALDEN - General History of Sydney, Convict and General Colonial History, Centennial Park
Inara Walden joined the Historic Houses Trust in 1997 and currently works as a curator at the Museum of Sydney. Specialising in Australian cultural and social history, Inara began her career at the Powerhouse and Australian Museum before joining the Historic Houses Trust. Major exhibitions include Circus! 150 Years in Australia and a travelling exhibition to Asia about multiculturalism and identity in Australia. Recent Historic Houses Trust exhibits include Portrait of a Park - Centennial Park and the First Fleet at the Museum of Sydney. Oral history projects Inara has been involved with have investigated the 1966 Freedom Rides, the Anti-Vietnam War movement, and the Sydney women's movement. Inara's current work focuses on convict and colonial Sydney.

 

JAMES BROADBENT - General Artchitecture, Decorative Arts, Fine Arts, Early Colonial Architecture, Colonial Art, Colonial Furniture, Gardens, Museum Philosophy
James Broadbent, a Senior Curator with the Historic Houses Trust, is well known as an historian and conservationist. His study has been the history of New South Wales' colonial houses, their furnishings and gardens, and the society that built and lived in them. Through his work as a museum and exhibition curator, as a lecturer, and as an author, he has promoted the significance of these houses and campaigned for their conservation. James has expanded the field of colonial studies with his writings and exhibitions and has defined the role of the house museum in Australia, notably with his establishment of the museums at Elizabeth Bay House, Elizabeth Farm, Parramatta, Rouse Hill estate and Dundullimal, Dubbo. His publications, often complementing exhibitions of the same theme and title, include co-authorship of Gothick Taste in the Colony of New South Wales, The Golden Decade of Australian Architecture: The Work of John Verge, Restoring Old Australian Homes and Buildings and The Age of Macquarie. He has written and lectured widely on 19th century houses and gardens, conservation philosophy and practice, early colonial society and taste, and early colonial trade, decorative arts and furnishings.

 

JOANNA NICHOLAS - Decorative Arts, Colonial Furniture, Gardens, Fine Art
Joanna Nicholas is the Curator of the Conservation Resource Centre. She has also been responsible for curating Meroogal, the Trust’s property at Nowra. She is the curator of the exhibition And So To Bed – a short history of beds and bedding in Australia at Elizabeth Bay House. Joanna is a contributor to the Trust’s Historic Interiors and Gardens Course. Her interests include 19th and 20th century houses and interiors – particularly furniture and soft furnishings, visual and decorative art. Joanna sits on the Committee of the Furniture History Society (Australasia). Her background includes working as a Curator for the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and lecturing in the Museum Studies Unit, University of Sydney.

 

JOHN PETERSEN - Convicts, Museum and Heritage Conservation Philosophy
John Petersen is the Supervising Curator at the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. His career in heritage spans over fifteen years. John's study has been in Australian social history and public history including museum studies and heritage place conservation.  A former archivist at the Australian Archives and curator of the Australian Customs Service National History Project in Melbourne, John assisted Dr David Day’s award winning Smugglers and Sailors: A Customs History of Australia and researched travelling exhibitions and journal articles on customs history as well as a typology study of customs houses for Heritage Victoria entitled Strengths of Spirits. John worked as the Senior Conservation Officer in the Australian Heritage Commission’s Australian and World Heritage Group in Canberra from 1994 to 1998 identifying, conserving and interpreting historic places on the Register of the National Estate, including Tasmanian convict sites. Moving to Sydney in 1998, John was employed on the NSW Ministry for the Arts and NSW Heritage Office Movable Heritage Project writing the government’s policy Movable Heritage Principles and conservation guidelines Objects In Their Place with a panel of technical advisers. Working in partnership with regional museums and communities on a number of historical thematic studies, John wrote guidelines for the care of historic farm machinery Safe In The Shed with Kylie Winkworth, Thomas Graham and Graham Clegg. John also supervised a history of NSW shopping and retailing by Joy McCann entitled A Lot In Store. John has an interest in the lives and experiences of convicts at Hyde Park Barracks and is an accredited member of Australia ICOMOS and the Professional Historians’ Association of NSW.

 

PETER WATTS - Gardens, Museum Philosophy
Peter Watts graduated in Architecture from the University of Melbourne and Landscape Design from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He has worked in private practice and then with the National Trust (Victoria) before being appointed the first Director of the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales in 1981. Peter is the author of The Gardens of Edna Walling (1981) and Historic Gardens of Victoria (1983), and co-author of An Exquisite Eye: the drawings of Ferdinand Bauer. Peter is a member of the Council of Australian Museum Directors and the Official Establishments Trust. He serves on the governing bodies of the Foundation for the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales and Members of the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales. He is currently the Chair of the Australian Garden History Society and the Rouse Hill Hamilton Collection Pty Ltd and a Director of Company B Belvoir Street Theatre.

 

ROBERT GRIFFIN - Early Colonial Architecture, Decorative Arts, Colonial Furniture, Gardens, Heritage Conservation Philosophy, Housekeeping Conservation in Practice
Robert Griffin is Curator of Government House, Sydney. He has been curator of several Historic Houses Trust properties including Elizabeth Bay House, Rouse Hill estate and Susannah Place Museum. He holds degrees in history and post-graduate qualifications in building conservation. Particular areas of expertise are Sydney terrace houses, painted decorative schemes and the conservation of Sydney sandstone buildings. He has curated exhibitions on Australian colonial furniture, architecture and decorative arts. Robert’s interests include architectural and garden history, historic interiors and their conservation and contemporary art/crafts.

 

SALLY WEBSTER - Cultural History
Sally Webster has worked as a curator with the Historic Houses Trust since 1988. She is currently curator at Susannah Place Museum and Meroogal. Sally has worked on several exhibitions tracing the history of domestic design in New South Wales. She has contributed to many publications including British Wallpapers in Australia 1870-1940 and Floorcoverings in Australia 1800 -1950. Sally's interests are 19th century portraiture and photography.

 

SAMANTHA FABRY - Convicts, Cultural History
Samantha Fabry has worked as a curator for the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales since 1999. She is currently Curator at Susannah Place Museum and Assistant Curator at the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. She holds a degree in Graphic Design and Photography plus Graduate Diplomas in both Art History and Museum studies. She is currently finishing a Masters in Cultural Heritage. Samantha's interests include 19th and 20th century Australian archaeology, miniature portraits and 19th century Romanticism.

 

SCOTT CARLIN - Early Colonial Architecture, Decorative Arts, Colonial Furniture, Gardens
Scott Carlin has been a curator with the Historic Houses Trust since 1990. He is currently responsible for a range of interpretative projects at Elizabeth Bay House and Vaucluse House. His curatorial posts have included Rouse Hill estate and Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Scott has curated numerous exhibitions, including The Grand Tour (on 19th century Australian travellers in Europe), Floorcoverings in Australia 1800-1950 (with Sally Webster), A Victorian Childhood from Rouse Hill estate and Augusto Lorenzini: Italian Artist Decorator (with Megan Martin). His many publications include Floorcoverings in Australia 1800-1950 and Elizabeth Bay House: A History and Guide. His research has supported the work of contemporary artists at Elizabeth Bay House, including the series, Artists in the House! (guest curated by Michael Goldberg) and Alison Clouston's Magical Golland. He is a contributor to the Historic Houses Trust's Historic Interiors and Gardens Course. His professional interests include 19th century visual art, decorative arts, furniture, soft furnishings, 19th century music and dance.

 

SUSAN HUNT - General History of Sydney, Museum Philosophy, Fine Art, Cultural History
Susan Hunt has worked as a curator in various roles of historic site management, arts administration and cultural programming with the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales for the past 19 years. In 1988 she was appointed Senior Curator responsible for the curatorial development of eleven properties. In 1993 she joined the Museum of Sydney project team and was involved in a number of partnership and advocacy roles, transferring to Head of Public Programs in 1997. Since September 2000 Susan has been Head Curator of the Museum of Sydney. She has curated a number of exhibitions from significant overseas collections, which re-interpret Australia's colonial past. In 1997 Susan was co-curator for Encountering India a highly successful photographic exhibition from the Oriental and India collections of the British Library held at the Museum of Sydney and in 1999 curator of the French exhibition Terre Napoleon: Australia through French eyes which featured art work from the Baudin expedition. She is currently preparing Lure of the Southern Seas: the Voyages of Dumont d'Urville 1826-1840 due to open in December 2002.

 

SUZANNE BRAVERY, Cultural History, Kitchen Garden, Housekeeping Conservation in Practice, Wentworths and Homebush Bay
Suzanne Bravery is currently Curator of Rouse Hill estate. She has worked in cultural heritage management in New South Wales for nearly twenty years, initially in regional areas and at the Powerhouse Museum, and since 1986 with the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales. Suzanne has curated Meroogal, Elizabeth Farm, Elizabeth Bay House and Vaucluse House, and written conservation plans and policies on museum related areas as diverse as conservation housekeeping, volunteers, disaster management and registration procedures and headed community heritage taskforces. She has lectured on material culture issues relating to the interpretation of heritage and is currently studying for a Master in Philosophy to further this expertise.

 

TAMARA LAVRENCIC, Housekeeping / Conservation in Practice 
Tamara Lavrencic has been the Collections Manager for the Trust since 1997 and coordinates object documentation, disaster management, pest management and preventive conservation across the Trust's portfolio. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Materials Conservation) and a Master of Science in Science, Technology and Society. Tamara has worked in cultural heritage management in Queensland & New South Wales for nearly twenty years, as a paper conservator, preservation manager and conservation consultant. She has written articles and policies on many aspects of conservation and collections management including preventive conservation, pest management, disaster management, registration procedures.

 

 HELEN TEMPLE, Deputy Director – joined the Trust in 1990 with an academic background in fine arts and archaeology. Helen has lectured in architectural history and tutored in classical archaeology. For a decade prior to joining the Historic Houses Trust she worked in the Department for Planning servicing the Heritage Council of NSW, first as an archaeologist and then as an administrator. Helen is a Churchill Fellow and has served on the board of the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

 

 NICHOLAS MALAXOS, Manager, Management Services – joined the Trust in 1995 from the Earth Exchange Museum and Film Australia. Nicholas is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a member of the Institute of Public Administration in Australia. He is currently the President of the Society for the Restoration of the Greek Island of Megisty. Nicholas is a foundation member of the Greek-Australian Museum and Cultural Foundation and has worked with the Powerhouse Museum in negotiating and liaising with the Hellenic Ministry for Culture in relation to the blockbuster exhibition 1000 years of the Olympic Games.

 

CHARMAINE MOLDRICH, Manager, Marketing & Business Development – joined the Trust in 1997 with 20 years arts industry experience, having worked in radio, film, festivals and the performing arts as an events manager, publicist, general manager and marketer. Charmaine has worked for the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, the Adelaide Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Australian Film Commission, the State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. She is on the board of Performing Lines.



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