Federation of Australian Historical Societies

FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETIES INC

e-BULLETIN No. 77 – 13 January 2011

Hon Editor, Dr Ruth S. Kerr

1) Queensland floods and historical societies

2) How heritage organisations assist in natural disasters - Gympie

3) New guide on copyright and cultural institutions

4) New advisory group to encourage volunteering

5) Ku-ring-gai Council's heritage plan, Sydney

6) Consider joining the online Australian Historical Societies Support Group

1) Queensland floods and historical societies

Many Queensland historical societies will have had flood damage in the recent Queensland floods covering more land than the total area of New South Wales. Floods in NSW and northern WA, and bushfires in southern WA, have also threatened heritage sites and collections.

The Federation expresses its sympathies to those societies and its concern about the ongoing damage to heritage sites and collections and wishes to provide information on what assistance may be available.

You will find details about the Federation on our website: www.history.org.au.

We invite you to let the FAHS know if there is anything that we can do to support you. Whilst we are a voluntary organisation and do not have funds, we will utilise our skills and network to obtain access to relevant expertise and advice to assist in rebuilding cultural assets including heritage.

Please email us at admin@history.org.au.

2) How heritage organisations assist in natural disasters - Gympie

As the Kidd bridge is under water, and Gympie is cut off with a 20 metre flood peak coming down the Mary River, the Mary Valley Heritage Railway (MVHR) has come to the rescue. It is running a shuttle service with their ex QR 2000 class railmotor from Monkland to Gympie to service the locals getting into town. There is a huge volume of water coming under Deep Creek bridge to the Mary. (Deep Creek bridge is 90 feet high). The MVHR ran the same "rescue railmotors" back in 1999, during the last really big floods up in Gympie.

(Source: Mary Valley Heritage Railway Inc – 10 January 2011)

3) New guide on copyright and cultural institutions

Copyright in Cultural Institutions (CICI) is a working group of copyright and intellectual property managers in cultural institutions in Australia.

The CICI group is pleased to release its new guide, Flexible dealing and cultural institutions, Statement of Principles regarding the use of section 200AB of the Copyright Act (1968): an industry standard and user guide for the cultural sector.

The purpose of these Principles is to provide a guide for the cultural sector in relation to the use of section 200AB in accordance with the Australian Government's intent that section 200AB provide a 'flexible exception to enable copyright material to be used for certain socially useful purposes while remaining consistent with Australia's obligations under international copyright treaties.'

It is envisioned that these principles will offer practitioners within cultural institutions a point of reference when dealing with a range of copyright material, but particularly orphan works.

http://www.nma.gov.au/about_us/copyright_and_production_services/cici/

(Source: Posted by: Vicki Court – mc2 – 13 December 2010)

4) New advisory group to encourage volunteering

A Volunteer Advisory Group will be established as part of the Gillard Government's commitment to releasing a National Volunteering Strategy in 2011, and Volunteering Australia releases its National Survey.

Follow this link for additional information:

http://thirdsectormagazine.com.au/news/new_advisory_group_to_encourage_volunteering/053621/

(Source: Posted by: Vicki Court – mc2 – 13 December 2010)

5) Ku-ring-gai Council's heritage plan, Sydney

The Ku-ring-gai shire council has identified six potential heritage areas in the suburbs of Pymble, Turramurra, Warrawee and Wahroonga which the council hopes to protect from apartment development. A report has been prepared by Paul Davies, architect, to protect them. The Ku-ring-gai Shire Council mayor stated that the council desires to protect the areas. Fourteen precincts have been included in the Ku-ring-gai Precincts area which has been adopted in the Town Centres Local Environment Plan (LEP). One councillor has cited the Productivity Commission Report 2006 and the Heritage Amendment Act 2009 (NSW) as sources for the requirement for prior consultation with property owners or potential heritage sites. Friends of Turramurra have taken the NSW Planning minister to the Environment Court over the Ku-ring-gai Town Centres LEP, claiming it is flawed.

(Source: Australian Financial Review, 9 December 2010 p.5)

6) Consider joining the online Australian Historical Societies Support Group

The online Australian Historical Societies Support Group, through an arrangement between the Federation of Australian Historical Societies (FAHS) and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, is one of the My Connected Community (mc2) groups initiated and funded by the Victorian Government’s Connecting Communities policy.

The Australian Historical Societies Support Group offers participating historical societies, like-minded bodies and their members a variety of free, easy to use Web-based services which they can use to communicate with each other across the nation and the world on any topic that is of interest or concern to their organisations.

The mc2 website provides easy access to online technologies now available for communicating between group members. Features of mc2 include a forum, an events list, space for sharing files, space for sharing photos, a links page and a chat room.

Details on how to join the Group are available at the FAHS website at www.history.org.au. Follow the "Support" and "Support Group" links from the home page.

(Source: FAHS Council)