annual report 12 13 - sovereign hill · for the netherlands, was a vip guest. opposite vip guest wu...

SOVEREIGN HILLANNUAL REPORT

12 13THE SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

CONTENTS

President’s Report 06

Chief Executive Officer’s Report 10

Marketing 14

Outdoor Museum 18

Education 26

Gold Museum 32

Narmbool 36

Special Occasions 38

Tribute Doug Sarah 40

The Sovereign Hill Foundation 41

Major Sponsors, Grants, Donors & Corporate Members 42

Sovereign Hill Prospectors & Sir Henry Bolte Trust 43

The Sovereign Hill Museums Association 44

Staff 47

Volunteers 48

Financial Report 50

SOVEREIGN HILLANNUAL REPORT

12 13THE SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

2 CHAPTER NAME

CHARTER

CHAPTER NAME 3

4 CHAPTER NAME

5

THE MAGIC OF SOVEREIGN HILL!

A story unfolds around every corner

at Sovereign Hill as visitors join goldfields

characters in a unique living history experience!

With horses, coach rides, gold panning, underground

mines, rare trades and ‘Redcoat’ soldiers, Sovereign Hill

has a goldrush adventure for everyone.

6 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

It is a privilege to have been elected

as Sovereign Hill’s 18th President:

Sovereign Hill has a most enviable

and respected record of achievements

as a community-based organisation.

Governance and risk management are essential components of the Board’s agenda and have been a key focus over the past year. Dedicated attention to these matters will assist the Board with its stewardship of the organisation’s assets and its response to current governance standards, including succession planning. The Federal Government has drawn the importance of these matters into a very clear focus with the statutory creation of the Australian Not-for-Profit Commission. This body will have an increasing impact on our work as a not-for-profit organisation. Compliance with new legislation in this area will be a focus for the Board in 2014, as new systems and accountability procedures are introduced. CEO Jeremy Johnson and I travelled to Canberra to discuss our concerns on some elements of the draft legislation directly with the Federal Assistant Treasurer.

In a related subject, the Annual General Meeting in October endorsed changes to the Association’s Constitution regarding the election of Board members.

The highlight of the year was the official opening of the Gold Museum Collections & Research Centre by Damian Drum MLC. This outstanding resource is a generational investment by Sovereign Hill and will open up amazing new opportunities for access to our extensive collections. We greatly appreciate the support of the State Government and the City of Ballarat for this project.

The opening of the Interpretive Exhibition in the original bluestone cottage at Narmbool was another enjoyable event. As from July, Sovereign Hill has taken over the responsibility for the farming operations at Narmbool. This will be a new challenge for the Board and Management team. Fortunately, we still have the outstanding support of Andrew and Robin Ferry in this task.

We were delighted to present a Civic Patron’s Badge to the Mayor of the City of Ballarat, Councillor John Burt OAM, and, in a new tradition, to the Chancellor of the University of Ballarat, Dr Paul Hemming. Sovereign Hill was the University’s first Affiliate Institute, and this appointment further strengthens the bonds between our two organisations.

Admiring a replica of the Welcome Stranger! The occasion was the opening of the Gold Museum Collections & Research Centre by Damian Drum MLC, centre. Mr Drum is pictured here with Cr John Burt, Mayor of the City of Ballarat and a Civic Patron of Sovereign Hill, left, Terry Lloyd, Jeremy Johnson and Roger Trudgeon.

7PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Denis Tricks, Chairman of Trustees for The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation, centre, opened the Interpretive Exhibition at

Narmbool on 5 April this year. He was welcomed to Narmbool by Robin Ferry and Terry Lloyd.

Board members Doug Sarah and Judy Verlin, right, have been acknowledged for their contributions to community life during the year. They are seen here with Life Member Penny Russell.

Dr Paul Hemming, Chancellor of the University of Ballarat,

left, was congratulated on becoming a Civic Patron of

Sovereign Hill by Terry Lloyd, right, and Jeremy Johnson.

8 PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The past year was also one of great personal achievements for individuals associated with Sovereign Hill. Our CEO, Jeremy Johnson, was the recipient of the 2012 award for the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual at the Victorian Tourism Awards. While this award recognises the contribution that the individual has made to the tourism industry through an organisation, it also recognises a wider contribution to the Victorian community, which I wish to record as a commendable feature of Jeremy’s personal and professional commitment. Jeremy went on to be nominated for the Australian Tourism Awards in this category. He was re-appointed by the State Government as Chair of Central Highlands Water Board and he was also re-elected as Chairman of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council.

Board member Judy Verlin received an Australia Day 2013 Honour, as a Member of the Order of Australia. As well, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ballarat for her extensive

contribution to the regional community. A Life Governor of Sovereign Hill, Doug Sarah OAM, also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University in recognition of his outstanding community engagement.

We were pleased to host many VIP guests including Victoria’s Tourism Minister, the Hon. Louise Asher, Bob Baldwin MP, Shadow Federal Tourism Minister, and Wu Wenxue, Vice-President and Director General Chinese Tourism Administration. From our contract caterers, Delaware North Companies Australia, we welcomed Lou Jacobs, a Principal, and Managing Director Gary Brown on an official visit. Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, was a most engaging Guest Speaker at the 2013 President’s Dinner.

The President’s ‘Pro-Tem’ Club Luncheon was hosted by Lloyd Jenkins, a former Board member, and several President’s Club functions were very enjoyable and well supported. The annual Sir Henry Bolte Trust Luncheon was held at Sovereign Hill with

Terry Lloyd, left, was pleased to welcome Dr Brendan Nelson, Director of the

Australian War Memorial, as Guest Speaker for the President’s Dinner.

9PRESIDENT’S REPORT

the Premier of Victoria, the Hon. Dr Denis Napthine MP as Guest Speaker, in the presence of Sovereign Hill Patron, the Hon. Jeff Kennett.

Sovereign Hill is indeed fortunate in the patronage we receive from our supporters and donors, and it is fitting to record our gratitude for their generosity.

My fellow Board members make a remarkable contribution to the on-going success of Sovereign Hill. I thank Vice-President Jane Cowles, Richard Nicholson, Damien Butler and Immediate Past-President Steve Coltman for their sound counsel as members of the President’s Advisory Committee.

My appreciation is extended to CEO Jeremy Johnson and his Executive Management team for their excellent support and achievements over the past financial year. It is not an easy job managing a not-for-profit independent business like Sovereign Hill, but every year they excel in this task. I also wish to acknowledge the

dedicated contribution of our staff and our volunteers – the Friends of Sovereign Hill and the Gold Museum Society.

My family has been a wonderful personal support and, in particular, I acknowledge my wife Sue.

We look forward with confidence to the challenges that lie ahead.

Emeritus Professor Terry LloydPresident

Life Governor Janet Cowles, right, and Life Member Isabel Coburn are pictured with Terry and Sue Lloyd at the opening of the Anne Frank exhibition in the Gold Museum.

Terry and Sue Lloyd enjoying the garden at Narmbool.

10 CEO’S REPORT

Above left Members of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors toured the Gold Museum with Jeremy Johnson when they visited Sovereign Hill for their Annual General Meeting. They included Alec Coles, left, Andrew Sayers and Pierre Arpin.

Above right John Abraham, President of the Ballarat Hebrew Congregation, left, opened the Anne Frank exhibition. Dr Hans Nieuwland, Honorary Consul for the Netherlands, was a VIP guest.

Opposite VIP guest Wu Wenxue, Vice-President and Director General Chinese Tourism Administration, visited the Gold Smelting Works, a key exhibit on the New Gold Mountain Tour for Chinese-speaking groups.

CEO’S REPORT

Sovereign Hill’s operations bounced

back most satisfactorily this financial

year after the very ordinary result for

the 2011-12 year. We finished with an

extremely creditable operating profit

of $678,807 and a strengthened

Balance Sheet.

Most pleasingly, we experienced excellent visitation growth from all market sectors other than schools, with over 480,000 day visitors to Sovereign Hill and over 700,000 ticketed entries overall. International markets have been challenged by the impact of the high Australian dollar; however, our hard marketing and sales work in China and Asia has rewarded us with a very strong increase in patronage. I was privileged to participate in the Victorian State Government’s China Super Trade Mission where Tourism Minister, the Hon. Louise Asher MP, officially launched Sovereign Hill’s China Market Strategy in Shanghai. Plans for developing the work of our Shanghai office for the China Sales and Marketing team are progressing.

Interstate markets have grown strongly, and we are very appreciative of the work done by Tourism Victoria with its marketing campaigns to generate much of this visitation. In Victoria, both metropolitan and rural segments were

11CEO’S REPORT

The Hon. Dr Denis Napthine, Premier of Victoria, was Guest Speaker at the 2013 Sir Henry Bolte Trust Luncheon at

Sovereign Hill. The Premier was greeted by Trust Chairman Bill McGregor, left, and Jeremy Johnson.

well up on previous years. The excellent value represented by our 2-day ticket has underpinned this growth, combined with clever marketing of themed school holiday activities and special events. School markets were, however, adversely affected by teachers’ industrial action.

Development of the Sovereign Hill website and associated online services has underpinned a significant growth in online business, as well as providing marketing exposure and interaction with our potential visitation markets. Combined with a major upgrade to our telephone systems, this means that we now have in place a very effective framework for improved customer services.

In the first major change to the composition of the Executive Management team for over five years, we farewelled Deputy CEO & Museums Director Tim Sullivan. Tim was appointed to the distinguished role of Assistant Director, Branch Head National Collection at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. He made a wonderful contribution to Sovereign Hill‘s development during his 13-year term here. In particular, his work with the University of Ballarat at Sovereign

Hill and with The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation and the Bug Blitz™ program at Narmbool have been outstanding legacies. In his place, we have welcomed Brett Dunlop, from the Melbourne Museum, as Director Museums.

The opportunity has been taken, at this time, to set in place a staff re-structure. This has been very well received across the organisation as activities are re-balanced within the respective departments.

Changes in legislation required a new compliance regime for the Workplace Gender Equity Act 2012. This was met, and we also made significant improvements in WorkSafe Victoria compliance measures. These are important achievements as we move into re-negotiation of the Sovereign Hill Enterprise Agreement with staff later in 2013.

Monthly staff meetings include an OH&S briefing. Recent presentations introduced new policies for OH&S Risk Management; Permits for High Risk Work; Machinery and Plant Isolations & Lock Outs; and OH&S Resolution – as well as a session on electrical safety.

12 CEO’S REPORT

Our Emergency Management Plan has been thoroughly tested, firstly with a Desktop Emergency Response trial in November by the Management team and then with a major training exercise in May, which involved the handling of a simulated boiler explosion, a mine collapse and a terrorist bomb explosion. This program included a full team comprising the Victoria Police, CFA, SES, City Council, the Departments of Community Services and Health, Ambulance Victoria and Sovereign Hill. It was a most informative training exercise for all parties involved.

A Disability Access & Inclusion Plan is being prepared by an in-house team, led by Roger Trudgeon, to comply with legislative requirements and to improve access to Sovereign Hill for staff and visitors with disabilities.

We have worked very hard at Narmbool to develop opportunities for schools to participate in leading edge environmental education programs.

In November, the Council of Australasian Museum Directors held its Annual General Meeting at Sovereign Hill. This body, of which I am Honorary Treasurer, consists of the Directors of the twenty-two major museums and cultural organisations in Australia and New Zealand. It provides the museums sector with a most valuable advocacy and networking resource.

Our relationship with the City of Ballarat remains very strong. Council’s assistance with the new capital project at the Gold Museum was most welcome.

I was honoured to Chair the 2013 Ideas Forum run by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council in Melbourne. As well, I was Guest Speaker at the Tenth Anniversary Celebrations for Regional Development Victoria. This State Government body has supported major Sovereign Hill and Gold Museum capital projects with over $7 million in funding in that time. It has been a great partner in helping us reinvest in vital new projects and infrastructure across our museums.

Sovereign Hill has been well represented in bodies such as VECCI, VTIC and the Board of Museums Victoria, allowing opportunities for us to influence outcomes affecting the cultural tourism sector.

I am very grateful to the Board and its Committees for their support, particularly our Board President, Terry Lloyd. The Executive Management team has been exemplary over the past year, and I commend our staff and volunteers for their efforts and achievements.

My Executive Assistants, Janelle Burns and Barb Howes, have been pillars of strength with their support, while Sue Tatham has been a most helpful resource to me with the never-ending task of fundraising and capital development.

In all, it has been a most enjoyable year’s work at Sovereign Hill.

Jeremy JohnsonChief Executive Officer

13CEO’S REPORT

John Davis, right, and Jeremy Johnson discuss plans to restore a Boudoir Grand Piano on display in the Victoria Theatre.

The Hon. Catherine King, Federal Member for Ballarat and Minister for Regional Australia, visited Comfort Inn Sovereign Hill to inspect plans for refurbishment works which have been supported by Australian Government funding.

The Hon. Louise Asher, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events, took a coach ride with Jeremy Johnson to inspect the set of ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’.

Mark Stone, Chief Executive of VECCI, left,

and Leigh Harry, Chief Executive of Tourism

Victoria, congratulated Jeremy Johnson at the

2012 RACV Victorian Tourism Awards.

14 CHAPTER NAME

MARKETING

CHAPTER NAME 15

16 MARKETING

Aggregated Attendances: Sovereign Hill, Gold Museum and ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’

100,000

0

Sovereign Hill

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

2012201120102009200820072006 2013

Gold Museum

Blood on the Southern Cross

It is pleasing to report that we have been

increasingly successful in attracting visits

from meeting, incentive, conference and

exhibition (MICE) groups.

Almost 4,000 Indian AMWAY agents visited Sovereign Hill in December as part of a major incentive group tour of Australia. Sovereign Hill worked closely with the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau to secure this booking, the second such MICE group, following the Chinese AMWAY tour in 2010.

Operational arrangements for the MICE tours were greatly assisted by our Friends of Sovereign Hill and the Gold Museum Society volunteers who acted as tour guides.

Our success in the groups market underpinned a strong rebound in overall visitation for the year to over 480,000 day visitors after several difficult challenges in both international and domestic markets during the preceding two years. The continuing high Australian dollar, low cost and discounted domestic and international airfares, the global economic downturn and fierce competition had been combining to challenge regional tourism numbers right across Australia.

Marketing Director Garry Burns and International Marketing Manager Jessica Xue worked tirelessly on sales missions to key Asian markets, in particular. This has seen strong results, and Sovereign Hill has an ascendant position in Mainland China, which is of considerable advantage to us. Our presence in-market, based in Shanghai, is a very valuable marketing resource.

‘The Secret Chamber’, a highlight of the New Gold Mountain experience offered to Chinese groups, is about to be redeveloped following a successful funding application to the Federal Government. This will give us a major marketing

boost for the China market, and our team in the Shanghai office as they go about their sales and promotional work.

During the year, we participated in many significant marketing activities, including:

> Familiarisation tours for key agents from India, Asia, Europe and China

> Trade and sales missions to India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia.

We are grateful to both Tourism Victoria and Tourism Australia for their continuing support of our international and domestic marketing. Garry Burns is a member of Tourism Australia’s China Market Strategic Working Group, and Jeremy Johnson participated in the Federal Government’s Industry Forum on China Tourism. Jeremy is also a member of its China Ready Program Steering Group.

Domestic visitation rose substantially as a direct result of the strong, theme-based school holiday programs that were developed in-house. In particular, ‘Christmas in July’ at Sovereign Hill is firmly established in this space.

17MARKETING

This year, over 300 Members and friends enjoyed a special evening launch with gas lamps, carols and ‘snow’ along Main Street and Christmas Dinner in the New York Bakery. On the following day, Channel Nine’s ‘Today’ show weather reports were broadcast from Sovereign Hill by Natalia Cooper.

The value proposition developed with the 2-day pass for the price of one was also very successful. Online marketing on our new website was excellent. This adaptive resource, which now includes a Sovereign Hill website for mobile phones, allows for a very strong communication message to be spread in a most cost effective way. We are also developing a solid presence on social media sites such as Facebook.

Sovereign Hill’s Pioneer Pass Holders were treated to a theatre show and complimentary morning or afternoon tea as part of the Victorian Seniors’ Festival 2012. We have almost 2,000 local residents (aged 70 and above) in this group. They enjoy an annual free entry pass to Sovereign Hill and have become very strong advocates for us.

The popular Christmas Shopping Night in December saw 3,800 locals visit free-of-charge to enjoy a pre-Christmas celebration and the opportunity to buy some gifts unique to our shops and factories.

The City of Ballarat re-structured its tourism services with the creation of Ballarat Regional Tourism – a separate Ballarat tourism organisation – in October 2012. Sovereign Hill works closely with that new structure to maximise the marketing message for the Ballarat region. A very effective strategy that has seen the establishment of some popular annual sporting and community events has been developed.

Following an extremely busy and productive year, the Marketing Department is well placed to build on the visitation growth delivered for the past twelve months.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam sollicitudin ullamcorper.

Above left Amway India visitors posed for a souvenir photograph with Sovereign Hill ‘Redcoat’ Rob Seater.

Above right Gold panning with Carlos Castro in the Red Hill Gully Diggings was a popular activity with Amway India visitors.

Jarrod Page, Senior Operations Manager, entertained onlookers panning in a ‘creek’ set up for a Sovereign Hill promotion at Federation Square, Melbourne.

Above Young Friends of Sovereign Hill posed for a ‘Christmas in July’ publicity photograph. Newspix

Above left Celebrating the evening launch of ‘Christmas in July’, Members enjoyed carols on Main Street.

‘Today’ presenter Natalia Cooper visited the sweet shop with

young ‘Friends’ to sample our famous

Raspberry Drops.

Garry Burns, right, attended the launch of the Ballarat Pass. He is pictured with George Sossi of Ballarat Regional Tourism and Charlie Neil from Kryal Castle. The Courier

18 CHAPTER NAME

OUTDOORMUSEUM

CHAPTER NAME 19

20 OUTDOOR MUSEUM

Sovereign Hill staff posed for this energetic photograph to announce Chinese New Year festivities. They were Cathy Lu, left, Peter Bray, Tony Geurts, Sally Huang, Jeremy Fry, Angela Cui, Yilin Liu, Andre Prenc and Dylan Licastro. The Courier

Jeremy Johnson, left, and Tim Sullivan, right, welcomed official guests to the Weston Bate Lecture. They were Tim Whitford, centre left, Lambis Engelzos, Weston Bate and Garry Snowden.

Sovereign Hill’s rich interpretation of the history of Australia’s gold rushes was again

most clearly evident in the public programs enjoyed by our visitors in the past year.

Chinese New Year was marked with a lively day of events staged in conjunction with the Chinese Australian Cultural Society Ballarat. The Year of the Snake was welcomed with activities including a temple ceremony in the Chinese Camp, ‘hands-on’ activities for children and cultural performances in the Victoria Theatre. The enchanting music of Mr Shen and the talented Melbourne Philharmonic Chinese Orchestra was a highlight, as was the colourful Lion and Dragon Parade up Main Street. This annual event has become a wonderful way of celebrating with the local Chinese community while sharing the richness of Chinese culture with our visitors.

During History Week, the Weston Bate Lecture 2012 was held in the Victoria Theatre, in collaboration with the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance and the Ballarat Arch of Victory and Avenue of Honour Committee. Lambis Englezos and Tim Whitford from the Shrine gave a moving account of Australia’s World War One soldiers who were officially recorded as missing following the battle at Fromelles on the Western Front. Many were buried in anonymous mass graves until Lambis steadfastly pursued the investigation that pinpointed their location and led to the recovery of 250 bodies. Weston Bate, official historian for Ballarat, closed the evening.

Music is an important interpretive element in our story of daily life on the Ballarat goldfields. ‘Songs of the Goldfields’, Sovereign Hill’s book of popular songs from the Victorian era, was launched in October 2012 by Patrick Greene, Chair of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD). This event, held in the Victoria Theatre, coincided with the Annual General Meeting of CAMD, held at Sovereign Hill. Many of the Directors joined other guests for a concert and bush dance, with the celebrations reminiscent of scenes depicted in ‘The Subscription Ball’ and ‘Lucky Diggers’ by goldfields artist S T Gill. We are indebted to music historians Terence FitzSimons and Anne Doggett for their dedicated research in selecting the songs and providing the accompanying notes and arrangements.

June 2012 saw an announcement by the University of Ballarat that it would be partnering with Sovereign Hill and the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute to offer ten fully-funded, post-graduate research places for candidates in the Australian History Postgraduate Research Program at the University of Ballarat. This important new collaboration will see three landmark Ballarat institutions join, creating an innovative research hub for our region to further the knowledge and understanding of our local history.

21OUTDOOR MUSEUM

An extensive, in-house staff-training program was co-ordinated by Senior Historian Jan Croggon, supported by interpretive, teaching and curatorial staff and a range of guest speakers. Amongst the ‘Big Picture’ highlights were ‘Botanic Gardens in 19th Century Victoria’ and ‘The Welsh in Ballarat’.

Faced with challenging trading conditions and the increasing influence of social media platforms like TripAdvisor on decisions made by potential customers, we must continually challenge and evaluate the quality of the experience we deliver. To this end, we have appointed an auditing company to undertake a series of comprehensive quality assessments of Sovereign Hill by ‘mystery shoppers’. Areas to be evaluated over a full year include Comfort Inn Sovereign Hill, ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’, entrance and retail operations, and general visitor service. Mostly, we receive positive feedback, and both Comfort Inn Sovereign Hill and the Gold Museum have been acknowledged by TripAdvisor with separate Certificate of Excellence Awards.

The Friends of Sovereign Hill (FOSH) volunteers enrich the interpretive experience in the Outdoor Museum. This year, activities included a networked delivery of ‘Women’s Work’, a celebration of the Horse’s Birthday on 1 August that included a visit to the FOSH stables to groom the horses, and the popular presentation of cooking in the various cottage kitchens across Sovereign Hill.

One volunteer, FOSH Jenni Fithall, stayed on-site in Chambers’ Cottage for two nights to experience what life would have been like in the 1850s. While this was an experience for volunteering, we were surprised by the great interest in this program. The Education staff linked their new programs to it, and this encouraged school students to visit. An online blog of Jenni’s time as a goldfields housewife, including interviews and a video diary, was very popular. This experiment in volunteering was a wonderful expansion of the Museum’s reach and interest, and we are indebted to Jenni for her outstanding assistance.

Refurbishment work on the Charlie Napier Hotel continued this year. Exhibit layouts and display items were refreshed and doors, floors, walls, furniture and picture frames were restored. Gutters, windows and other building elements were also repaired to keep weather out.

The residential area of Speedwell Street has had a face-lift with a brigade of volunteers replacing and painting the picket fences on Chambers’ Cottage, Davidsons’ Cottage and St Ives. Together with work done by the Finding Futures team on bush timber fencing for the animal paddocks, the new picket fences and painting works help make Speedwell Street a real feature of Outdoor Museum.

The roof of the main visitor entrance was replaced in April, and the entrance ticket boxes were refurbished.

In an on-going project, we are undertaking a program to install solar energy plant at Sovereign Hill (and also at Narmbool) to help reduce the ever-increasing costs of energy and also to responsibly reduce our carbon footprint.

The Outdoor & Mining Museums Committee has been a very helpful resource and a grateful acknowledgement is recorded for the work done by its Chair, Jane Cowles, and Committee members.

Friends of Sovereign Hill Jenni and Chris Fithall introduced visitors to domestic routines on the goldfields when Jenni ‘lived’ in Chambers’ Cottage for two days.

22 OUTDOOR MUSEUM

THE MINE & STEAM OPERATIONS

An underground Mine tour remains a signature Sovereign Hill experience. The year commenced strongly, stimulated by the success of the 2012 ‘Christmas in July’ holiday program, and ended with an excellent financial result. Compared to the previous year, an additional 19,500 visitors paid to enjoy a fully-guided Mine tour, and over 8,000 took the self-guided Red Hill Mine adventure.

Now over 15 years old, ‘The Secret Chamber’ is central to the Chinese visitor experience. We are very grateful to have just received $100,000 as a Federal Government Tourism Quality Grant, which will support us in re-developing this story of Chinese miners in Ballarat at a total cost of $200,000.

‘Trapped’, another major underground exhibit, presents the story of the flood disaster that killed 22 miners at Creswick in 1882. Maintenance works revealed water leaks that had damaged the flooring and support structure in the area of the set known as the reflection pool. Mine Operations Manager Wayne Drew was assisted by contractor Rod Ford and Sovereign Hill’s carpenters in replacing the flooring structure and installing a new channel

drain and outlet configuration to improve the service process. The opportunity was also taken to have the original creative consultants, think! OTS, adjust the lighting and restore the rock wall surface.

Further upgrades were carried out by the Technical Services Department to the Red Hill Mine and Quartz Mine animation and operating systems. The installation of current specification hardware and the subsequent re-writing of new software have brought these exhibits into the modern digital era.

Maintenance facilities for the Mine train have been improved. New earthworks were followed by the installation of a concrete slab, an overhead gantry and a rail line across the slab.

Prior to winter, the exposed concrete culverts on the Creswick Drive were sealed against leakage. Access to the Farr & Hancock Stope is currently restricted following an inspection by AMC Consultants Pty Ltd in May, which revealed the need for some rehabilitation.

Steam Operations Manager Craig Ashman joined in the festive spirit for ‘Christmas in July’. The Courier

Mine Guide Peter Kennedy enjoys a quiet moment at the Farr & Hancock Stope – an area of original workings in the Quartz Mine. The Courier

23OUTDOOR MUSEUM

All OH&S policies and procedures have been updated to ensure compliance with WorkSafe legislation. Christopher Walschots, Senior Inspector, Earth Resources, WorkSafe Victoria, has provided valuable assistance. We are also fortunate to have mining consultant Peter Darveniza as an advisory resource.

The year has seen extensive maintenance and re-building work in the steam installations of the Sovereign Quartz Mine. Both Cornish boilers now have new cast steel main stop valves fitted to industry standard. Associated pipe work was also upgraded to match current flange tables.

In the Battery House, the deck of the Wilfley table was replaced. In preparation for the re-building of the 10-head stamper battery, new shoes, dies and cams have been cast.

On the Poppet Head, the timber brace and associated tramways have been refurbished with a new deck, posts and railing of ironbark. A fine, powder-coated mesh barrier has also been installed as a safety measure.

This important area of Sovereign Hill is most capably managed by John Lewis, Director of Engineering & Operations.

ADMINISTRATION

Major upgrades to the telephone and IT systems during the year have improved the resources available within the Administration Department to deal with its ever-increasing responsibility for communication and data management.

The introduction of an online bookings system has assisted with moderating the number of incoming telephone calls through our busy reception service.

Work is almost complete on the development and introduction of a new rostering system to replace the current one that is over 15 years old and now unserviceable. This will enable much quicker and more accurate rostering, payroll production and labour costing.

Changes to the Board’s election system at last year’s Annual General Meeting have been implemented under the supervision of Pat Clifford, Director of Finance & Corporate Services, who is now also the Association’s Company Secretary.

Costumed staff and volunteers created an S T Gill moment in the Victoria Theatre following the launch of the goldfields song book.

A striking view of the Sovereign Quartz Mine by night! The Courier

24

COMFORT INN SOVEREIGN HILL

In a significant achievement, Comfort Inn received a commendation award from TripAdvisor for rating in the top 10% of businesses world-wide which consistently receive excellent online feedback from guests posting reviews and comments on this popular social media site.

An exciting capital works program has begun with the allocation of a $250,000 grant from the Federal Government’s Tourism Industry Regional Development Fund. This will assist in financing the refurbishment of the six rooms at Esmond Terrace, the re-development of the Court House for meetings and conferences, and the improvement of breakfast and reception services.

This $500,000 project has also been very generously supported by Delaware North Companies Australia, our catering contractors.

Occupancy rates for the past year were seriously affected by the Victorian education industrial relations impasse and a downturn in consumer and business confidence early in 2013. Despite these factors, Neil Robbins, our Comfort Inn Manager, has been very focused on directing his team to deliver a consistently high quality standard of service.

BLOOD ON THE SOUTHERN CROSS

The Governor’s Class premium ticket, which was introduced in late 2012, is an important revenue initiative and has been well received by patrons who have taken up this option.

This ‘gold-class’ package offers a pre-show dinner and drinks, along with the best seats in the house and a range of high quality products including a full colour souvenir program, a souvenir DVD and a warm blanket on chilly nights!

Once again, Adam Reid and the Technical Services team have ensured a very reliable delivery for the show, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in January. A major upgrade is being planned to revitalise this unique museum experience in order to maintain its internationally-acclaimed position.

OUTDOOR MUSEUM

Neil Robbins proudly displays the 2013 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence awarded to Comfort Inn Sovereign Hill.

‘Blood on the Southern Cross’ Guide Mathew Dowler promotes the Governor’s Class premium show experience.

25

CREATIVE & DESIGN

Director John Zulic and staff create and maintain the content of Sovereign Hill’s website. With numerous enquiries and bookings now made online, the Design Department developed a Sovereign Hill website for mobile phones. The new site includes frequently sought information, bookings, special offers, online shopping and links to our social media pages and the full website.

The Sovereign Hill 2-day pass and the Governor’s Class sound-and light show package, both very successful initiatives, are now available online.

The Design team worked with Sovereign Hill’s catering contractors to introduce our corporate branding into the Delaware North Companies area of the website.

For each school holiday campaign, Design produces photography and artwork for press and web advertising, and promotional collateral such as brochures, signage and billboards.

The year’s publications included ‘Songs of the Goldfields’, the Sovereign Hill Annual Report, a new bequest brochure, regular newsletters, Sovereign Hill Education brochures and special occasion stationery.

The Entrance ticket boxes were refurbished to make them more ergonomically suitable for staff and to facilitate better communication with visitors.

The Interpretive Exhibition in the bluestone cottage at Narmbool was Design Manager Glenn Bishop’s responsibility. An element of this display was adapted to create an outdoor sign introducing Narmbool Lodge guests to the geology of the landscape.

James Baker joined the department as Senior Designer in May.

OUTDOOR MUSEUM

The new website for mobile phones represents a significant step in expanding Sovereign Hill’s online presence.

26 CHAPTER NAME

EDUCATION

CHAPTER NAME 27

28 EDUCATION

SOVEREIGN HILL EDUCATION

Once again, it is pleasing to report that over 90,000 students have experienced programs presented by Sovereign Hill Education. Most are delivered as 1-hour, ‘hands-on’ sessions, either from the Education Centre near the Gold Smelting Works or from Carver & Dalton’s Auction Rooms.

A major focus has been to deliver programs that support the new Australian Curriculum. The History, English, Maths and Science curriculum areas were presented this year for all students up to Year 10.

The introduction to the new curriculum, known in Victoria as ‘AusVELS’, states that the first aim of the Australian History Curriculum is to ‘ensure that students develop an interest in, and enjoyment of, historical study for lifelong learning’.

Sovereign Hill Education is ideally positioned to meet this aim. Overwhelmingly, visiting teachers comment on how students enjoy their visits and are excited to learn more after their experience at Sovereign Hill.

To meet the demands of the new curriculum, the Education team has developed a Year 9 program about the impact of the Industrial Revolution on Australia in which secondary students visit Steam Operations at the Quartz Mine and photograph evidence of the impact of industrialisation on Ballarat.

The new curriculum has an extremely strong focus on Australian History at primary levels, particularly in Year 5, when students examine life and work in the 19th century. Sovereign Hill Education has produced an online kit entitled ‘The Settlement of Victoria’, which teachers can use in conjunction with a Sovereign Hill visit. A series of online training sessions for teachers on how to use the kit effectively has been offered. The team has also created a program about transport for students in early years.

Special programs were conducted for Science Week, History Week, Catholic Education Week and the ever-popular Horse’s Birthday.

The Education team also offers a strong teacher professional development program. Increasingly, this is being delivered online. In conjunction with the History Teachers’ Association, the Children’s Book Council of Australia and the School Library Association of Victoria, conferences were offered for primary teachers and librarians.

The Education team has made effective use of modern technologies to ensure strong learning outcomes for students and teachers. Its Twitter account has 466 followers and often facilitates communication directly with visiting teachers about their experiences. The Education blog is set up to address student questions and boasts over 9,200 followers and an average of 151 viewers per day. The e-newsletter reaches over 1,900 subscribers, and iPads have been used to collect feedback from visiting teachers.

Marion Littlejohn introduces students to the Butcher’s Shamble as part of the goldfields health and hygiene program.

Annemarie Kierce takes a school group through the Red Hill Gully Diggings.

Weighing gold just like the diggers of early Ballarat!

29EDUCATION

NARMBOOL EDUCATION

Narmbool Education has had another strong year.

The fifth Narmbool Regional Toolbox for Environmental Change was held in August, in a very rewarding, on-going partnership with Greening Australia and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

The environmental education program was well supported. In particular, the development of our partnership with the University of Ballarat’s Centre of Environmental Management has continued to provide research services in the form of environmental assessments, along with expertise for the purpose of developing long-term management strategies for Narmbool.

The on-going partnership with Glen Waverley Secondary College, in Melbourne, was even more successful this year with the assistance of a $12,000 award from the NAB Schools First national awards program. The school invested this money into its Sustainability in Action – Thinking Globally, Acting Locally partnership with Narmbool and the University of Ballarat. The purpose of this project was to engage students in fieldwork and link the study of local issues to thinking about global strategies for biodiversity protection and sustainability.

The ninth ‘Bug Blitz’, held at Narmbool in November 2012, was another success thanks to the continued support of The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation and the Bug Blitz™ Trust. The day-and-a-half program saw teams of ten students from six schools in regional Victoria exploring Narmbool’s insect diversity.

The ‘Bug Blitz’ is an important program for promoting more informed environmental citizenship and leadership. During their scientific fieldwork, students work alongside Narmbool Education Officers to locate and identify insects in water, grassland and bushland. They then identify the physical characteristics of the insects that help them survive in their individual habitats.

Narmbool continues to participate in a local consortium led by the Highlands Regional Waste Management Group funded by Sustainability Victoria to further extend the reach of the ResourceSmart AuSSI Vic program in the region’s schools.

The new Narmbool Interpretive Exhibition offers perspectives on the cultural and social history of the property, acknowledging the traditional owners, the Wathaurung people, and the generations of settlers from the colonial era to the present day. A spectacular photomap depicts the evolution of the local landscape over millions of years. It has been Andrew and Robin Ferry’s wish to create a place on Narmbool where its story can be shared with all visitors. It is pleasing to report that this has been achieved.

In addition to the supporters mentioned above, we also acknowledge the generous assistance of the Catholic Education Office.

Guests at the opening of the Narmbool Interpretive Exhibition included Wendy Baker, from the DEECD, left, Peter Beckwith, Peter Hoban and Professor Peter Gell from the University of Ballarat.

‘Bug Blitz’ trails extend across the Narmbool landscape from Narmbool Lodge.

30 EDUCATION

THE SOVEREIGN HILL SCHOOLS

A parent from a visiting school wrote about his son’s experience in the Red Hill National School. He was delighted to see the ‘remarkable transformation’ of the children as they donned costume and moved beyond simply ‘playing’ their role to immersing themselves in the daily life of goldfields Ballarat.

The nature of this unique learning experience is the reason for the success of the innovative programs offered by the Sovereign Hill School at the Red Hill National School, St Peter’s Denominational School, the Ballarat Benevolent Asylum Ragged School, St Alipius’ Diggings School and the Infant School.

Throughout the year, the schools hosted 296 school groups from across the education sector. A diverse range of guests included the Education team from the Beamish Living Museum in the UK, two groups from the British School Museum in Hitchin and Rotarians from Iceland.

In June 1013, the School was represented at the International Network of School Heritage (INOS) conference in Slovenia by School Council President Ann Campbell, Principal Michael Ward and one of its teachers, Linda Borner, who presented a paper on teacher training in Victoria from colonial days. As the Sovereign Hill School will host the 2015 INOS conference at Sovereign Hill in March 2015, our delegates also made a presentation about Sovereign Hill and Ballarat.

31EDUCATION

With the new National Curriculum placing greater emphasis on the teaching of Australian History, the program has become even more relevant. Some schools who visit regularly are already falling into line with these new guidelines, moving to bring their Year 5 students to Sovereign Hill.

Our teachers are to be commended for the high quality of their work. They are generously supported by the management and staff of Sovereign Hill, the Friends of Sovereign Hill volunteers, visiting schools, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Catholic Education Office and the School Council, which is capably led by Ann Campbell.

For the first time, the schools had student teachers from the University of Ballarat for a three-week placement. It was a most valuable and enjoyable learning experience for all.

We thank Marion Snowden, who retired after 22 years, and was instrumental in the establishment of the Ragged School program. We also farewelled Deputy CEO and Museums Director Tim Sullivan, who was a staunch supporter of both the school program and Michael Ward in his role as Principal.

Linda Borner’s Ragged School classes receive a health check from goldfields ‘Doctor’ Ian Burton.

Sheryn Mitchell keeps a close eye on her charges in St Peter’s Denominational School.

32 CHAPTER NAME

GOLD MUSEUM

34

The year has seen the most significant capital development at the Gold Museum

since its construction in 1978.

With the official launch of the $3.5 million Gold Museum Collections Centre on 24 May, the Museum entered a new era. After four years’ planning and twelve months of construction, the Gold Museum boasts state-of-the-art collection storage; new staff offices and volunteer work areas; and a thoroughly updated collection management system, which will greatly enhance access to the 100,000 items held by the Museum.

Through the support of Regional Development Victoria, and with additional funds from the City of Ballarat, the Gold Museum has revolutionised its ability to stage future exhibitions and public programs, and its ability to communicate the region’s history. The Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development, Damian Drum MLC, launched the project before a packed gallery of VIPs and Museum supporters. As part of this development, virtually every item in the collections is being moved to the new storage areas, which feature the best environmental controls, purpose-built storage equipment and improved security.

It is a testament to Gold Museum staff and all involved in the project that the Museum remained operational throughout the entire project. The project was also delivered on time and within budget. We acknowledge the quality of the creative design by local architects, Morton Dunn, along with the construction work by H Troon, another Ballarat firm, and the specialist storeroom fit-out by Commando Storage, from Melbourne.

Changes wrought by this development will be felt for years to come with its new capabilities allowing the Museum to rise to future opportunities. Following the purchase of the Vernon Collections System, the documentation of the collections is undergoing its greatest change in 25 years. Some 65,000 collection records will soon be searchable online, dramatically opening up a vast array of information previously accessible only by staff

and volunteers. A significant future challenge will be to photograph or scan over 60,000 items to add to the collection records. To this end, ‘The Courier’ made a donation to support the purchase of photographic studio equipment.

The exhibition program included significant travelling shows such as ‘Living in a Sensory World’, a joint project of Vision Australia and the Powerhouse Museum. This exhibition followed the 100-year history of the technology used by people with blindness or low vision, and featured a presentation of the latest bionic eye technology.

‘Letters of the Goldfields’ was developed around the acquisition of a set of 38 letters from James Petford, a gold seeker who faithfully recorded the trials and triumphs of his life during the Gold Rush. The letters, combined with period illustrations and other first-hand accounts of the lives of gold miners, create a very personal insight into the reality of the goldrush experience.

A major touring exhibition entitled ‘Anne Frank: A History for Today’, was much appreciated, with many visitors pursuing the detailed story behind the famous diary. Coming from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the exhibition included many photographs and a great deal of descriptive detail of the experiences of the Frank family, those who were in hiding with them and those who worked so hard to protect them. Over 25,000 visitors saw the show during its 3-month season.

Peter-Shane Rotumah, left, John Zulic and Peter Lovett attended the ‘Indigenous Australians at War’ exhibition at the Gold Museum.

Ballarat High School students presented readings at the launch of the Anne Frank exhibition. They were accompanied by school librarian Deborah Marshall.

GOLD MUSEUM

35

The rate of accessions into the collections continued with 1,681 items acquired. These included the mining and military history library of the late Ray Scilley; a cabin trunk from the ill-fated clipper ship, the ‘Royal Charter’; historical reference books from Loris Mee, and numerous goldfields artefacts acquired at auction. The kind donation of an 1847 Boudoir Grand Piano by Dawn and Peter MacDonald was accompanied by generous support from John Davis and Phil Cockerill who met the cost of restoration. The piano is on display in the Victoria Theatre at Sovereign Hill. Doug Sarah generously funded the purchase of a mid-19th century sofa. Other donations of costume featured, along with numerous books, photographs and documents related to Ballarat.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing last August of Barbara Langton, who had donated the impressive collection of gold nuggets prospected by her late husband, Steve, in the late 1970s. The Langton nuggets have been viewed by millions since they were first displayed at the Museum in the 1980s.

Sovereign Hill acknowledges the long-term support of Arts Victoria towards the recurrent costs of the Gold Museum. Significant changes proposed to the organisation’s funding program will bring new procedures into place for funding beyond 2013.

Museum staff continued to support activities in the wider region, providing practical advice and material help to local museums, historical groups and affiliated organisations. Talks and presentations were given to numerous service clubs and community groups, and to aged care residents.

Under the guiding hand of Chairman Richard Nicholson, the Gold Museum Committee has overseen a year of enormous change and considerable challenges. Manager/Curator Roger Trudgeon is to be commended for his role in the planning and management of the Gold Museum Collections Centre project. As directions are set for future programs and activities, the Museum’s prime objective remains to maximise the opportunities now provided by this magnificent new asset.

Roger Trudgeon, right, showed Andrew Eales through the new storage facilities at the opening of the Collections Centre. The Courier

‘Indigenous Australians at War from the Boer War to the present’ was an important travelling exhibition from the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. Ballarat elder Ted Lovett, left, was welcomed by Roger Trudgeon and Richard Nicholson.

Dr Kevin Murfitt, Chair of Vision Australia, opened ‘Living in a Sensory World’. He is seen here with Terry Lloyd, left, Jan Chisholm from Vision Australia, Jeremy Johnson and ‘Kane’.

GOLD MUSEUM

36 NARMBOOL

NARMBOOLSovereign Hill took over the responsibility

for farming operations at Narmbool from

1 July 2013. The farm will, however,

continue to be most capably managed

by Peter Rooney who has implemented

the sustainable farming practices which

are a very informative component of

the Environmental Education program

at Narmbool.

The impact of the 19th century gold rushes on land settlement and clearing in the Ballarat region is readily evident at Narmbool. Its development from a squatter’s run to a closer-settled, cleared farming area by early land selectors, and then its consolidation into a larger, single farming entity reflect the pattern of settlement around rural Australia.

This story is now brilliantly told in the new Interpretive Exhibition, which was opened on 5 April by Denis Tricks AM, Chairman of The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation. The display was funded by the Ferry Family Charitable Trust. Housed in the original bluestone cottage, it incorporates a wonderful panoramic image of the Narmbool landscape highlighting its geological age, which was developed with the assistance of the University of Ballarat.

The Furniture History Society Australasia Inc. and the Australian Garden History Society both visited Narmbool, marvelling at the fine collection of early Australian furniture and the garden, which is even more resplendent after another year of favourable weather. It is indeed a credit to the gardening team of Ben Waight and Ian Bilston.

School bookings continue to grow, generously supported by Margaret Ross, The Freemasons Public Charitable Foundation, the Montgomery Foundation, the Jenny Mason Memorial Fund and the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.

Site Managers Mick and Gill Armstrong have settled into their role, and the various buildings there are looking very refreshed, particularly the Garden Room. Our caterers, Delaware North Companies Australia, have developed a strong weddings market.

Narmbool continues to be a very important resource for Sovereign Hill, and the original vision of Andrew and Robin Ferry is driving continuous improvement in the unique programs being offered there.

Members of the President’s Club enjoyed a family ‘Bug Blitz’ day at Narmbool.

Guests of honour at the opening of the Narmbool Interpretive Exhibition included Trustees of The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation. They were Susan Hughes, Martin Carlson, Harry Carrodus, Denis Tricks, Stephen Newton, standing left, and David Pitt.

The Narmbool Interpretive Exhibition makes the history of Narmbool available to every visitor.

CHAPTER NAME 37

SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Bishop Paul Bird, Barb Howes, Ian Howes

Kizanne Davies, Pam Davies, Samantha Davies

Paul Stephens, Rob McNaughton, Laila Genitsaris

Dan Cronin, Sharon Cronin, Doug Sarah

Don McKenzie, Jill McKenzie, Jeff Kennett

Nick Robson, Jock Selkirk, John Fogarty, Damien Butler,

John King Jnr

Bob Hinchey, Richard Berman-Hardman

Matthew Baird, Sari Baird, Steve Coltman, Catherine Gay, Ross Gay

Julie Chandler, Ian Chandler, Gwenda Lonsdale

Rod Jerman, seated left, Rhoni Callahan, Brendan Lubeek, Jeff Sly, standing left,

Scott Hosking, Melanie McKenzie, Lucas Coad

Tim Porter, Bronwyn Porter, Ian Newland

38 SPECIAL OCCASIONS

39SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Noel Perry, Rodney Jacobs, Bruce Judkins

Richard Nicholson, Ross Wilkie, Steve Moneghetti

Jeremy Johnson, Tim Sullivan, Terry Lloyd

John Lloyd, Annmaree Perry, John Davis

Stephen Byrne, Paul Foley, Danielle Foley, Kim Butler

Anthea Matley, Peter McCarthy, Kim Moss

Joe Agostino, John King Snr

Anne Johnson, John Williams

John Lewis, Jane Cowles, Tracey Lewis-Jones

Bruce Bartrop, Gwenda Lonsdale, Barry Lonsdale

Terry Jongebloed, Adrian Doyle

Deirdre Collier, Ann Lacey

40 TRIBUTE

TRIBUTE DR DOUG SARAH OAM

A Life Governor and Past-President, Doug Sarah retired from the Board at the 2012 Annual

General Meeting, thus completing a distinguished term of office that commenced in 1981.

Doug’s voluntary involvement with Sovereign Hill began on Opening Day 1970 and, from that time onwards, he gave unselfishly of his time and considerable retailing and marketing skills.

Doug served as Board President from 1992-94. The major highlights of his term were Sovereign Hill’s success in being named Australia’s Major Tourist Attraction at the National Tourism Awards and the launch of ‘Blood on the Southern Cross’, our evening sound-and-light show.

In the 2007 Australia Day Honours, Doug received a Medal in the Order of Australia for his community service. In 2013, he was made an Honorary Doctor of the University of Ballarat for services to tourism, business and the Arts.

Together with his partner, Penny Russell, Doug has made a most creditable and personable contribution to Sovereign Hill, which is acknowledged with sincere gratitude.

Jeremy JohnsonChief Executive Officer

Retiring Board members are presented with a framed gold nugget in recognition of their service to the Association. Doug Sarah and Penny Russell are seen here in the Victoria Theatre at the 2012 Annual General Meeting.

41THE SOVEREIGN HILL FOUNDATION

THE SOVEREIGN HILL FOUNDATION

The Foundation has enjoyed spectacular growth in its corpus, with investment conditions having markedly improved over previous years. To support fundraising work, an updated bequest brochure was launched at a luncheon held at Sovereign Hill last October.

It was very gratifying to receive a generous Named Account bequest from the Estate of John Collier. Foundation Chairman Ross Wilkie acknowledged this significant donation in June at the cocktail party held annually for Named Account Donors.

As at 30 June, 2013, the Foundation’s investments were:

2013 2012 $ $

General Funds 1,593,712 1,447,903

Named Accounts

The Peter and Richard Nicholson Family Gift 36,229 32,615

Jane Cowles Bequest 32,918 29,634

The Isobella Foundation 29,645 22,093

Delaware North Companies Australia 32,016 28,822

McDonald’s Australia 49,296 44,378

D & J McKenzie Account 74,465 56,947

Bruce & Kay McKnight Bequest 30,048 22,489

The Colin & Shirley Prowse Family Gift 35,454 29,663

G H & A J Troon Account 34,424 30,990

S J Weir (Ballarat) Pty Ltd Account 6,686 6,019

Ross & Elizabeth Wilkie 31,290 28,168

Voi Williams Family Gift 31,100 23,377

The Barry James Account 33,310 29,987

The John & Catherine Davis Account 40,944 34,566

Jim and Betty Gay Family Gift 22,939 16,096

Jeremy & Anne Johnson Family Gift 22,843 16,047

J G King Pty Ltd 29,469 21,920

Terry Lloyd and Sue Goodbourn Gift 29,407 26,473

Jim & Irene Stephen Account 32,042 28,846

Gull & Company Gift 23,014 16,113

Adroit Insurance Group (Joe Agostino) 11,955 10,762

Doug Sarah & Penny Russell (Win Sarah Memorial) Gift 29,408 25,498

Dorothy & David Baird and Family Gift 28,993 26,101

Sophie and Steven Coltman Family Gift 10,666 5,079

Neil & June Jens Family Account 10,565 5,003

John Collier Bequest 25,729 0

2,368,568 2,065,590

Note: As at 30 June, 2013, the following additional pledge has been received to establish a Named Account: Lindsay Thompson Family Gift.

42 THE SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

MAJOR SPONSORS, GRANTS, DONORS & CORPORATE MEMBERS

MAJOR SPONSORS & GRANTS

The Courier

City of Ballarat

Lion Nathan

McDonald’s Australia

Nestlé Peters

Schweppes Australia

WIN Television

Australian Government Tourism Industry Regional Development Fund

Australian Government Tourism Quality Grants Program

Victorian Government Regional Growth Fund Economic Infrastructure

DONORS

Alizzi C

Bartrop B & A

Burt D

Cockerill P

Davis J M

Delaware North Companies Australia

Estate of Gladys May Brown

Estate of David M O’Sullivan

Ferry A S & R F M

Ferry Family Charitable Trust

Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

The Freemasons Public Charitable Foundation

The Hugh D T Williamson Foundation

McCarthy P

Mason K D & L M (Jenny Mason Memorial Fund)

Montgomery Foundation P/L

Nicholson R W

Ramsay D

Ross M

Sarah A D

Webster M

CORPORATE MEMBERS

Sovereign Hill enjoys the support of a wide range of Corporate members, who are amongst our best advocates. We also enjoy strong commercial relationships with many of them or, in other cases, are able to provide a community service link to help advance their objectives.

Corporate membership provides a number of worthwhile entrance benefits, as well as discounts for goods and services at Sovereign Hill businesses.

ACU NationalA W Nicholson P/LAdroit Insurance GroupAustralian Timken P/LBallarat CoachlinesBallarat Health Services Ballarat IVF Ballarat Surgical Clinic Ballarat Turf ClubBank of Melbourne Barker & JenningsBaxter & Stubbs P/LBegonia City Motor Inn Berry, Anderson & Co. P/L Berry Street VictoriaBest Community Development Big Brothers Big Sisters (Highlands) Blenkiron Electrical ServicesBuninyong Family ChiropracticButler P/LC E Bartlett P/LCentacare Ballarat Central Highlands SurgeonsCGU InsuranceChinese Australian Cultural Society BallaratCity of Ballarat

Comfort Inn & Suites City ViewConcept Cleaning SuppliesCops ‘n’ KidsCrawford Dowling P/LDaylesford BakeryDilmac MediaD W Security P/LEclipse Ford Eureka ConcreteFMP Group P/LFrank Ford Travel P/L G Gay & Co HardwareGold CorporationHadjah P/L Haymes PaintHS Social Club Imerys Minerals AustraliaJ B Cameron P/LLake ImagingLifestyle Travel BallaratLion Co. Lisa LodgeMcCain Foods (Aust) P/L Maxitrans Australia P/L Microsoft Morton Dunn Architects Mulcahy & Co.

Oliver FootwearOttima Design P/LPeter Tobin FuneralsPickwick Group P/LPrism Solutions P/LPPT Holdings P/LQuality Inn Heritage on LydiardQuest Ballarat Mews/Quest BallaratRossini Club P/LRural Press Printing BallaratSargeant Transport P/LSeymours on LydiardSovereign Park Motor InnSovereign Press P/L Sovereign Views Apartments St John of God HospitalSocial ClubThe Diggers HutThe HaymarketTrembath Automotive UFS Dispensaries LtdUniversity of BallaratVECCIW & D FinanceW M Flynn P/LWestpac Banking Corporation

43THE SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

SOVEREIGN HILL PROSPECTORS & SIR HENRY BOLTE TRUSTSOVEREIGN HILL PROSPECTORS

This year, the Prospectors enjoyed Christmas drinks with the President at Steinfeld’s, a preview of the Interpretive Exhibition at Narmbool, and a preview of the Anne Frank exhibition at the Gold Museum.

The retirement of two long-standing Prospectors, George Lance and Doug McKnight, is noted. We thank them for their support.

PATRONS

Bate W Moneghetti S

MEMBERS

Ashley GBaird S NBall D Bowman B CBradie DBrooke DBurt DCampana TCarter RChandler IChapman W Chester DColtman BCorcoran ICowles J ECowles J I

Cronin DCross RDale JDavis JEverist MFisken P Gibney MGlover JGow DHayden RHewitt G Hope PKannourakis GKarmouche D Lance GLloyd T

Lowe ALyons LMarshall PMcGregor W McKnight B McKnight DMiller JMoss SNelson JNicholson E J Oliver NOwen GPerrin KPerry A PPierce JPlaatzer W

Prowse C R Pryor W JRussell JSelkirk JSelkirk R JStone BTaylor RThomson BTobin SWebster MWilkie G Wilkins RWilliams J

Williams V

SIR HENRY BOLTE TRUST

The second annual Sir Henry Bolte Trust Luncheon was held, with Sovereign Hill being the venue this year. Our State Premier, the Hon. Dr Denis Napthine MP, delivered the Bolte Oration, and among the VIP guests was Sovereign Hill Patron and former Premier, the Hon. Jeff Kennett. Funds raised from the luncheon and the Trust’s work support the acquisition of collection items.

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of two founding Trustees, the Hon. Murray Byrne CMG and Bill Stephen AM. Both contributed much to the establishment and development of Sovereign Hill and maintained this commitment throughout their lives. Bill was not only a founding Board member and a Life Governor of Sovereign Hill, but also a generous benefactor.


THE SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

Patrons The Hon. John Cain The Hon. Jeffrey Kennett The Hon. Steve Bracks The Hon. John Brumby

Civic Patrons Mayor of the City of Ballarat, Cr Mark Harris (to 1/12) Mayor of the City of Ballarat, Cr John Burt (from 1/12) Chancellor of the University of Ballarat, Dr Paul Hemming (from 2/13)

Patron of Narmbool Trust (vacant) Board Members

President Lloyd T Vice-President Cowles J E Baird S Butler D Coltman S Doyle A Hinchey R Lonsdale B McCarthy P Nicholson R Perry A Sarah D (to 22/10/2012) Verlin J

Chief Executive Officer Johnson J

Deputy CEO, Museums Director Sullivan T (to 24/5/2013)

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Director – Commercial Operations Berman-Hardman R Director – Creative & Design Zulic JDirector – Engineering & Operations Lewis JDirector – Finance & Corporate Services Clifford PDirector – Marketing Burns GGold Museum Manager/Curator Trudgeon R& Deputy Museums Director

CHAIRMEN OF COMMITTEES

Finance & Risk Committee Butler DGold Museum Committee Nicholson R Outdoor & Mining Museum Committee Cowles J EPresident’s Advisory Committee Lloyd TNarmbool Trust Coltman SSir Henry Bolte Trust McGregor WThe Sovereign Hill Foundation Wilkie R



We are grateful for the on-going support of the following members of the community who serve on Board committees, Trusts and Foundations associated with Sovereign Hill:

Carey ACarlson MCuttle MElder SFerry AFerry RMcGregor WMcNamara P

Moneghetti SPratt DProwse G Smith ISmith J Thompson DWallace AWilkie R

Auditors Crowe Horwath West Vic Bankers National Australia BankHistory Consultant Bate W Mining Consultant Darveniza PNumismatics Consultant Sharples JSolicitor McGregor W, Baird & McGregor

Leased Business Managers

Catering Delaware North Companies Australia Pty Ltd Soho Foundry & Clarke Bros Tinsmiths Bilney P & FThe Ballarat Times McArthur R & L

Sovereign Hill Education

Beckwith PDowler MHoban PKierce A

Littlejohn MRosestone SSpierings JWalker S

Sovereign Hill School

Ward M (Principal)Adams JBorner LFeatherston PFyffe J

Kyi A Middleton AMitchell SSnowden MSteele K

Honorary Musicologist

FitzSimons T

Honorary Mining Historian

d’Auvergne P



LIFE GOVERNORS

Cowles J I Jones E C McGregor W H Prowse C R Sarah A D

LIFE MEMBERS

Addison JAgostino C Agostino J D Akers M T Baird A Baird I J Baird S E Bartrop B E Bate W Benjamin T M Bennett R L Blomley DBonthorne JBowman B CBrown G W Brown NBruce CBunning P R Butler CButler DButler JButler KButler NButler XByrne AByrne P MByrne T JChandler JChester C Christie R BClark B Coburn CCoburn ICoburn P ICoburn P JCoghlan C CCoutts LCowles J ECrabb SCraig OCreelman TDavies P RDavis JDavis KDavis PDavis T

Dunne MEdwards N JEvans LFairfax J BFairhurst JFarnell M R Faulkner JFaull JFerry A SFerry R FFitzGerald DGarrisson BGarrisson CGarrisson HGarrisson VGay CGay DGay M Gay R Gilbert J Grant C LGrant EGrant LGribble N Griffin JGriffiths WGull SGull SHayden J MHayden M Hayden P Hayden RHaymes DHeres KHerman J LHiscock P McLHocking D Home IHornsby RHouston J Howard MHunt R V M Hunt V D UInglis RJackman RJacobs L

James B James BJames DJames G James G Jenkins LJens N John JJohn J WJohnson CJohnson D JJohnson J Jones C EJones D KJones P KJones RJudd PKaess DKaess JKelleher LKennard D Kinchington T King JKing LKnight F Lance G Le Lacheur C Liebelt JLonsdale B JLyons G NMcCarthy BMcCarthy PMcDonald Williams AMcDonald Williams S McFarlane JMcGrath DMcGregor HMcGregor R McKenzie DMcKenzie J McKnight BMcKnight IMcKnight T McKnight WMcMahon K L Mann P L

Martino N Mason KMason LMatthews R EMontgomery TMorrison KMoss DMoss SMyer BMyer SNemeth RNicholson A WNicholson C Nicholson E A Nicholson J ENicholson P CNicholson PNicholson R WNunn BO’Meara TO’Shea J AO’Sullivan FO’Sullivan F CO’Sullivan JO’Sullivan MPettit MPeuker HPleydell C RProwse CProwse D Prowse G DProwse G SProwse M Prowse RProwse S LRamsay T DRussell P Rice-Jones RRobertson H GRobinson ARobinson R JRobson V GRunnalls T MSarah V JSarah Le-Lacheur OSchmid R

Scott D Segrave BSelkirk ISelkirk JSelkirk R JSheludko VSmith M GSpicer E JStephen I Stephen JStephen K Stephen M Stephen M TStepnell JStone L EStone P C DTaylor P LThacore VThomson GTitheridge N WTobin F LTorney G WTribe JTroon ATroon RTroon STurner PVagg FValentine N Vendy D G Webb OWebster MWelsh M Wilkie EWilkie J Wilkie RWilliams C Williams J Williams VWilson P R



STAFF

Adams MAllan JAllen DAlpen MArmstrong GArmstrong MArmstrong MArnott WAshman CBaker JBarrins MBarry BBeacham HBeaton ABennett DBignell BBignell TBillerwell RBilling TBilston IBishop GBlobel TBloom ABodman KBorner WBoyd JBoyko MBradley LBray PBredin RBridges DBrisbane JBrodrick JBrown CBurke CBurnett MBurns JBurton IButler GButler JCaldwell ICameron ACarr SCarter ECarter FCarver MCassidy GCastro CCavalier CCheney LClark RClarke S

Collins ICollins MColman MCornwell KCorrigan TCowan NCroggon JCurran BCuthbertson KDacey JDando MDebney MDeeks MDownes ADrake JDrew WDuffin DDurham MDyble DEarl BEdgington BEdwards GEvans PFalkiner MFarnell MFerguson JFilmer MFlood MFlowers CFoley MFord JFord RForest JForster NFoster DFranc JFraser LFridey NFry JGamble PGardner CGervasoni JGeurts AGleeson JGoldsmith BGooding EGrace IGrant CGray MGray SGriffith CGrootveld R

Haldane CHammond RHancock EHandley CHansen KHansen KHarris THartmann CHarvey RHazell THealy JHeinrich THennessey LHenriksen CHenriksen EHill KHoban EHoban THodge BHope THore BHorsley PHoskin WHowes BHowse DHuang CHuang MHuang XHuang XHughes FHughes PHughes PHurwood EIngram SIoannucci SJarvis KJohnson LJones MJovanovic AKaess MKaj AKay BKennedy PKingston MKnight BKnight OKoch EKoroneos RKosloff KKyi ALacy MLarcombe H

Larkins ALatter CLean TLee BLeenstra BLewis-Jones TLi YLicastro DLing YLiu YLong ALu XLucas DLuke RLyons NMackley SMadden RMao MMarshall BMartin KMatheson JMcLaren AMcMullin LMcNeil LMemon SMilne PMitchell AMorcombe KMoss KMroczkowski ZMuir CMuirhead RMyers RNeale CNunn MO’Brien KO’Brien KO’Brien SO’Connor RO’Gorman JO’Hara LO’Keefe TOffer LOsborne DOxlade HPage JPaine BPan CPeach JPeacock APerkins DPerkins K

Pezzutti RPhillips CPhillips NPigdon MPingali SPitman RPohl SPortia SPrenc ARamsay LRankin JReid ARhodes-Edney MRichardson JRichardson JRiddiford MRobb DRobbins NRoberts NRobson KRomeyn CRowe CRowley ERyan CSari MSchaper PSchenk RScott WScurr DSeater RSharp KShaw NShelmerdine JSimmons SSimpson JSlater SSmith CSmithers HSnow BSong BStares TSteegstra KStoios HStoneman DStowe KStrange AStronach PSuter KTatham STaylor CTaylor LThompson J

Thorn PTian JTink ATonkin DToomey JTrigg GTurnbull MUre JVan De Wouw MVanderkley CWagstaff RWaight BWaight KWalker KWalker SWang X Wang YWard AWare DWarr SWatson AWatson BWatson SWheatland MWhite BWhite JWhitehead MWiddicombe GWilding RWilkinson SWills SWilson AWilson PWinch JWong SWu RXu XXue XYe LYoung AYoung GZhang LZhang LZhang YZhong LZhu RZou G



FRIENDS OF SOVEREIGN HILL

The FOSH volunteers have made a very impressive contribution to the presentation of the Outdoor Museum over the year. In responding to the desire of all visitors for an engaging and informative experience, these loyal volunteers ably co-ordinated by Kelly Steegstra and Serena Ioannucci, enrich the quality of the interpretation and storytelling across Sovereign Hill.

We are very grateful to the FOSH Committee and its office-bearers for 2012 and 2013:

President: Roger O’Connor

Vice-President & Secretary: Don Pennell

Treasurer: Leonie Balfour

Committee members: Jenny Hill, Wayne Buckland, Jill Bull and Lorraine Sheppard

The ‘Friends’ are organised in streams, focusing on areas where they can make an important difference for our visitors: explaining and demonstrating aspects of the Outdoor Museum; supporting the schools programs; interpretation; the Green Team and collection management. The Volunteer Exchange experience with the Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and the Immigration Museum was very successful.

Aside from their work at Sovereign Hill, our FOSH contributed to many community programs and activities: National Volunteer Week’s Big Breakfast; the Make Cancer History Walk; the Geelong-Ballarat Railway 150th Anniversary celebrations and the Begonia Festival.

Allen KAllen WAnderson KAshford KAshford KAshley EAshley GAshley TAshley CBaker MBalfour LBarnham KBaum LBerg JBessems MBessems MBischard ABischard VBone RBrae JBrodrick KBrookes RBuckland WBuckland SBull JBurke WBurke ABurke TCampbell TCampbell JCaraneli SCaraneli BCarter RCarter SCharles KClark V

Clark RClark SClark MClark SCleeman MCluff BColeman HColeman GCorden HCrommelin R Day JDaykin ADooney ADrever Y Eddy M Ellis CFithall JFithall CFreeman J Freeman SFreeman H Gavan B Gillespie P Gladman BGladman JGladman DGordon JGordon AGordon SGrant DGrant DHall KHall HHall AHall SHall A

Hankin WHarrison JHarrison CHealey MHill JHogbin MHollings YHoward JHoward-Robbins LHowgate KHowlett WHowse DHutchinson CHutchinson BHutchinson LHutchinson KHutchinson EHutton LJacks LJacks SJamali EJohnston-Chan DJohnston-Chan AJohnston-Chan YJohnston-Chan DJones BJones MJones CKeaney MKelly LKhadem PKilby GKnox GKucera KLadner KLadner K

Ladner CLadner KLadner KLadner KLawry RLawry SLearmonth MLearmonth ELearmonth HLlewllyn WLuke GLukeis RLunn JMaberly EMacey SMaloney MMcCallum RMcCausland BMcClean AMcCracken NMcDonald CMcDonald BMcGlasson DMeadows ZMeadows LMewett DMewett JMewett AMewett EMillar MMiller JMorse SMould PMurnane BMurnane ANewey B

Newey CNyberg RO’Connor RO’Hagan DO’Hagan DO’Laughlin HO’Neill GPegg APennell DPennell LPennell APennell TPennell JPepper MPhillips JPierotti LPitman ARayner MReus BRhodes IRhodes HRiley GRobe LRoberts LRosentreter PSculley PSculley ESeviour ESheppard LSjogren GSkelton-Tolliday ASmith GSmith NSmith JSpall WSteinman M

Stickland SStickland GStickland BStones MStones DStones WSuttie RTaylor SThomas MThomas JThorne KThorne IThorne AThorne TThorpe LThorpe CTobin STong NTwyford-Smith KVanstan KWheaton RWhetton NWhitelaw KWhitthread KWilkins RWilliams DWilliams DWilliams CWilliams AWojciechowski RYoung GZilveris E



GOLD MUSEUM SOCIETY

With the Gold Museum Collections Centre under construction, Society volunteers had an interesting year working from temporary locations, having fewer galleries in use and practising emergency evacuation procedures when demolition work caused an increase in the number of power outages and fire alarms. However, there was only a two-week period when offices and some collections were moved that back-room volunteers could not work. Gold Museum staff very much appreciated the volunteers’ patience and good humour during the disruptions to familiar routines. The volunteers are now enjoying their reward – new work areas, new computer facilities and a new staff room for well-earned breaks.

The Society continued its monthly meetings with contributions from members and a fine array of guest speakers. In April, Society members visited the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre, the Art Gallery and the Langi Morgala Museum in Ararat.

Volunteer Co-ordinator Joanne Gervasoni ensured that volunteers were well supported in back-room work and the overall activity program. A new feature for the newsletter has been Joanne’s articles about the varied activities of Society members.

Whether it is tour guiding, intriguing visitors with collection items on the ‘touch trolley’, new member orientation and training, collection-based work or many other tasks, all Society members make a practical and valuable contribution to the Museum. We thank Society President David Pratt, the office-bearers and committee, the newsletter editor and all our volunteers for their on-going support.

Ball ABeggs Sunter ABlythman MBradby DButcher DChristie BChristie HClark MCook SCowles J ICrick ACrick JCurnow DCurnow MDehn HDoggett A

Douglas DDouglas GEldridge RGrant DHamilton JHenderson JHope PatJohnson FJohnson DKarmouche DKent TLacy BLawrence LLlewellyn WLlewellyn NLuhrs M

Lunn JMaberly EMaidment E Manning DMartin ZMartino NMay PMcCracken NMcGregor WMcPherson BMiller JMitchell PMuir HNetherway NNewey BNewey C

Nunn BO’Brien TPeterson LPhilips JPittard APratt DProwse SPym IRobins CRozsa LSmith ISmith MSpielvogel VSpielvogel DTaylor CTaylor P

Taylor RTe Kaeth TThompson NThornhill NTong MTong NTudball VWidgery RWilliams MZamurs F

annual report 12 13 - sovereign hill · for the netherlands, was a vip guest. opposite vip guest wu...

Documents