Bushfire Crisis in Australia – update 20 January 2020

Note: This update is not meant to be comprehensive

With further evacuations and fires out of control in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, the critical bushfire situation across the country continues. Damage to some heritage property will only be known once affected areas are declared safe, and damage has been assessed and able to be reported. The sheer scale of the fires, the sensitive nature of many of the areas affected and with so many communities and wildlife displaced, the effort ahead is still ongoing and enormous.

Australia ICOMOS have updated their Heritage Toolkit to include a Rapid Assessment Form for Fire Affected Heritage Places for use by local councils. BSA has added a list of Recovery Agencies to our website.

From a GLAM perspective there are still no reports (yet) of libraries, archives or museums being damaged. A number of small galleries have sustained damage, but information is brief at this time. Severe smoke did affect cultural institutions in Canberra in January.

A number of heritage houses have sustained significant damage, especially in Victoria including Towong Historical Homestead. Victoria still has many fires burning but we acknowledge the East Gippsland region has been devastated. The South Coast Region of New South Wales and Victoria including the towns of Mogo with heritage houses and Cobargo and Mallacoota.

Some of the Kosciuszko Huts have been lost but with great work by NPWS and NSWRFS staff on saving so many. There are further reports of the loss of heritage at the Huts and Selwyn Snow Resort and the Kiandra Courthouse.

While the Jenolan Caves House was saved, there is significant damage close to the property. We are grateful that much of the Wollemi Pines Heritage Listed area has been protected.

There has been significant destruction and damage on Kangaroo Island.

There has been an update on Budj Bim National Park indigenous sites. It has been noted that many indigenous site areas are not yet safe to return to, to make any assessments at this time. We note comments from the Yuin South Coast of NSW Elders but also acknowledging the immediate and significant human need priority in the region.

Blue Shield Australia would like to note that if you are an owner of a State Heritage listed place affected by the fires (or other severe weather events), or if you are aware of any impacts to Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Places and sites, or historic archaeological sites please contact your state Heritage Council or Department.

Conservation Volunteers Australia has been selected by the Australian Government to coordinate the national environmental volunteering response to the bushfire crisis. You can register your interest as a volunteer here. There are many other groups co-ordinating assistance, with BlazeAid being just one example.

We would like to acknowledge communities that sustained bushfires months ago, who are now very much in a difficult recovery phase. This includes Bobin and Wytaliba in the Glen Innes region, North Coast NSW and also Port Macquarie and the Blue Mountains. The ZigZag Railway is calling for volunteers and donations.

This heartfelt post by Kate Brady from Australian Red Cross describes the anguish, patience and fortitude that we must have for the very long recovery that’s ahead – it’s an important read on the blog by John Richardson.

One site to consider for a broad overview is the Wikipedia 2019-20 Australian Bushfire Season page and other useful pages with collated national information are currently being added and updated.

The Australian GLAM peak bodies and Blue Shield Australia will meet during the week of 20th January 2020 to discuss and update on the current situation and focus on planning for future support for affected communities and cultural heritage sites.

We thank the national and international cultural heritage community for their ongoing support and concern.

Sue Hutley, Chair, Blue Shield Australia info@blueshieldaustralia.org.au

‘Creating the Future: Trust. Diversity. Imagination.’ (AMaGA) 2020 Conference

The Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) 2020 conference will be held in Canberra – ACT, between 18-21 May 2020.
The theme for the conference is ‘Creating the Future: Trust. Diversity. Imagination.’ AMaGA 2020 will invite new perspectives on the museum and gallery sector’s role in creating the future.

AMaGa is looking forward to developing an ambitious, imaginative and outward-looking program that questions assumptions. This is your chance to share your ideas about addressing our sector’s impact on communities, ecologies and economies and building trust and empathy in the context of global challenges.

We are particularly looking for papers that bring inter-generational, cross-platform, cross-cultural and inter-sectional perspectives to the conference. We are also looking for new perspectives on the work of the sector and its role in shaping our future communities, society and world.
Presentation formats for proposals may include : a Pitch, Lightning Talk, Debate, Performance or Film.

Significant dates:
Call for Abstracts – NOW OPEN – closes Monday 30 September 2019
Registration – opens October 2019
Further informationhttps://amaga2020.org.au/abstract-submission/

Fires, Floods and Failures. ALIA URLs Symposium

Canberra – 1 May 2019

Australian Society of Archivists

This year ALIA URLS (ACT) Group and Blue Shield Australia are hosting a one-day Seminar at the National Library of Australia on the topic of ‘Fires, Floods and Failures: Future Proofing against Disaster’

Hear how our colleagues deal with disaster planning and emergency responses in relation to libraries and cultural collections.

Date: Wednesday 1 May, 2019
Time: 9:30am – 4:00 pm
Price: $100 for ALIA members
Location: Conference Room, 4th Floor, National Library of Australia, Canberra

The program and registration details can be found at: https://membership.alia.org.au/events/event/fires-floods-and-failures-future-proofing-against-disaster

CULTURE: Conserving it Together conference Suva, Fiji, 1-5 October 2018

The 2018 CULTURE Conference Committee invites you to register for the conference. Visit the CULTURE: Conserving it Together conference website for more information on registration, the program, speakers and more. Following on from the Blue Shield Australia Symposium held in January, one of the key themes of the conference is Heritage at Risk: Climate Change and Disasters. The conference is a joint undertaking of Australia ICOMOS and ICOMOS Pasifika.

Download the 2018 CULTURE Conference Leaflet.

Initial queries about this conference can be directed to Bradley Hayden, details below.

Bradley Hayden
Countrywide Conference & Event Management
PO Box 5013
ALBURY NSW 2708
Phone: +61 412 461 392
email Bradley

ALIA Sustainable Development Goals Summit 2018 – Gold Coast

On Sunday 29 July 2018, representatives from libraries, government, education and civil societies in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific, will gather on the Gold Coast to compare strategies for incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals in their work.

https://aplic.alia.org.au/content/alia-asia-pacific-sustainable-development-goals-summit

The Summit will be a combination of presentations and interactive workshops designed to ensure that Summit attendees depart with a clear understanding of how the SDGs can be embedded in their own organisation. They will gain a national and international library perspective on the SDGs; be better informed about ways of progressing this agenda, and be equipped with the information they need to spread their message in their own communities and through professional networks.

Speakers include :

  • Christopher Woodthorpe, Director of the United Nations Information Centre
  • Margaret Allen, CEO and State Librarian at the State Library of Western Australia
  • Sue McKerracher, CEO of the Australian Library and Information Association
  • Opeta Alefaio, Director, National Archives of Fiji

Conference: 8th International Conference on Building Resilience (Risk and Resilience in Practice: Vulnerabilities, Displaced People, Local Communities and Heritages)

The 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUILDING RESILIENCE is to be held in Lisbon, November 7-9, 2018.

The theme is Risk and Resilience in Practice: Vulnerabilities, Displaced People, Local Communities and Heritages.

This places cultural heritage within the global context of disaster risk reduction and provides an opportunity for heritage to be brought into the mainstream. It also provides an opportunity for heritage professionals to discuss with a non-heritage audience the contribution of heritage to resilience building, as well as the issues we have identified as critical for reducing risks to cultural heritage. This includes discussing cultural heritage in relation to displaced communities, which in the Australian context could include Aboriginal communities and refugee communities.

The conference is structured around the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework and provides an opportunity for discussion of heritage in the broader context of disaster risk reduction and resilience, as well as to present evidence based heritage case studies.

ICOMOS-ICORP is an associate partner of the conference, along with UNISDR and a number of universities and research centres from around the world that specialise in resilience and disaster and emergency management. There is a broad range of tracks proposed for the conference which are aligned with the four priorities for action set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction:

  • Priority 1: Understanding disaster risk
  • Priority 2: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk
  • Priority 3: Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience
  • Priority 4: Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction

Several of the tracks are expressly related to heritage, although, as heritage is part of the main theme for the conference, it would also be possible to address heritage within the other tracks on offer, although heritage is not specifically mentioned in their title. For the full range of tracks, which include among other areas cultural landscapes and indigenous heritage, refer to the conference website: http://2018.buildresilience.org

ICORP members are co-chairing the following tracks:

  • 3A – Heritages: Risk mitigation, adaptation and assessment
  • 4C – Risk and resilience issues of the architectural heritage: documentation, conservation, restoration and recovery
  • 4F – The Role of Heritage in Reducing Risks, Building Resilience, Sustaining Culture and Enabling Recovery and Healing

The call for abstracts closes this Sunday, 4 March 2018.

Culture Under Attack Exhibition

Every society is shaped by its social, artistic and religious histories and the cultural treasures that embody them. Because these objects are so intrinsic to our sense of identity they are increasingly targeted in modern armed conflict.

Culture Under Attack is an Australian Red Cross exhibition that highlights the impact of war on cultural heritage. The images in this exhibition reveal the tragic destruction of important buildings, monuments, objects and artefacts – things that tell the stories of who we are and where we have come from. They illustrate the impact of this loss, from the indiscriminate bombing of Europe during WWII, the burning of irreplaceable manuscripts from Timbuktu’s library, to the recent devastation in Palmyra, Syria.

Drawn from the portfolios of photojournalists across the world, Culture Under Attack also portrays the invaluable work of cultural custodians and organisations dedicated to keeping our heritage safe for future generations.

Culture Under Attack was made possible by the generous support of the Australian Government Attorney General’s Department.

https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/culture-under-attack 

When
Weekdays, 10am to 7pm
Weekends, 11am to 4pm

Friday 24 November 2017 to Saturday 31 March 2018

Except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Australia Day and Good Friday

Where
Customs House
31 Alfred Street, Sydney 

Level 2
Cost
Free

 

Symposium 29-30 January 2018

2018 Symposium

You are invited to join Blue Shield Australia members and supporters at the 2018 Blue Shield Australia Symposium to be held at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, Australia.

The symposium will be held over two days as follows:

Monday 29 January 2018—Tours, Workshops and Evening Welcome Reception

Tuesday 30 January 2018—Symposium with invited speakers

The purpose of the symposium is to share expertise, experiences and case studies of the protection of cultural heritage in times of natural disaster, as well as to discuss climate change and the strategies being put in place by the sector to work towards a sustainable future. The Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Pacific Regions are often affected by natural disasters and we look forward to learning from each other to advance the work of the International Committee of the Blue Shield to safeguard cultural assets for future generations.

More information – 2018 Symposium webpages – http://blueshieldaustralia.org.au/symposium

Register your interest now.