2012 Yearbook

R E V I E W 35 KATE CLARK HISTORIC HOUSES TRUST OF NEW SOUTH WALES Volunteering is not a ‘bolt-on’ – it is core to our success. Kate Clark is the director of the Historic Houses Trust (HHT) of New South Wales, POF PG "VTUSBMJB T MBSHFTU TUBUF NVTFVNT It includes the Museum of Sydney and the Justice & Police Museum as well as houses, gardens and a library. HHT cares for some of the most significant sites in Australia, including Government House and The Mint. ))5 T GPDVT JT PO UIF IJTUPSZ PG Sydney and the architecture, interiors and landscapes of the colony. It delivers exhibitions, public programmes and an active education programme which reaches around 60,000 students per year. Approximately one million people visit HHT sites each year. HHT also operates a building preservation trust which holds six other historic properties. THE ROLE OF SKILLED VOLUNTEERS Volunteers work throughout the organisation in a wide range of SPMFT JODMVEJOH GSPOU PG IPVTF DVSBUPSJBM FYIJCJUJPO EFWFMPQNFOU collection management, marketing, library work, running events, and education and research. There are four core areas of volunteering: t Internships These target tertiary students looking for XPSL FYQFSJFODF BT QBSU PG UIFJS course. There are currently around 12 internships each year. t Property volunteers These volunteers assist with all aspects of property management including guiding. Over 200 property volunteers assist HHT each year. t Volunteer members Our separate members’ organisation relies on volunteers to help support its events and activities. Around 40 people volunteer for members’ events. t Sydney Open volunteers Sydney Open is held every two years and relies on recruiting a group of volunteers to help buildings across Sydney to open to the public. Last year 420 volunteers contributed to the event. Many of our properties have core groups of loyal volunteers who are strongly a!liated with that site, QBSUJDVMBSMZ (PWFSONFOU )PVTF RECRUITMENT Volunteers are primarily recruited UISPVHI VOJWFSTJUJFT GPS JOUFSOTIJQT local newspapers, the Volunteering Australia website and local councils. SUPPORT All volunteers are asked to sign a volunteers’ agreement and take part in B UXP EBZ JOEVDUJPO DPVSTF BT XFMM BT TJUF TQFDJmD USBJOJOH We provide regular training, UFBN CVJMEJOH TFTTJPOT BOE NFFUJOHT with sta" and other volunteers. We BMTP QSPWJEF QFUSPM FYQFOTFT GPS volunteers involved in our outreach speaker programme. There is a Volunteers’ Centre with IT facilities and volunteers have access to HHT resources, including our library and resource centre. Volunteers also receive free entry to museums, discounts, guest passes, a subscription to our magazine and newsletter, and access to members’ events. We celebrate the achievement of volunteers who have given long service, marking their ‘anniversaries’ every five years. Interns work with our education team which coordinates their learning needs and liaises with university departments to ensure that there is a structured learning environment. We always try to match volunteers’ skills with the needs of the PSHBOJTBUJPOT 'PS FYBNQMF B HSPVQ PG people with skills in soft furnishings have worked with us to develop a programme of renewal at Elizabeth Bay House. THE IMPACT OF VOLUNTEERS There is always more to do than we have the resources to achieve. Without volunteers the Sydney Open event would not happen, our active members’ programme would not be able to raise funds, visitor access to our sites would be limited, many of our new initiatives would not be possible and many of our interiors would not look their best. LOOKING AHEAD We have developed a new strategic plan for HHT and its first core goal is to involve people more in our activities. Museums are not just places to visit: active involvement in what we do helps us but also provides people with new skills, friendships and connections. So I see volunteering OPU BT B ACPMU PO CVU BT TPNFUIJOH that’s core to HHT’s success. We rely on volunteers but the challenge is always to provide volunteers with the support they need to make a meaningful DPOUSJCVUJPO 8F BSF FYQMPSJOH how we can better support our university interns and also how we can broaden those links to connect with students in other disciplines such as marketing and business. I would also like to find ways to make more use of F WPMVOUFFSJOH XJUI QFPQMF contributing to our work online. The capacity of our volunteers to challenge us and drive change will continue to be important, I’m sure. One of our Hyde Park Barracks volunteers recently pulled me up on the poor quality of our visitor information. She was utterly right, and nagged me into ensuring that we produce something much better. Historic Houses Trust volunteers on an annual outing in 2011 to Throsby Park, New South Wales, one of the properties in HHT’s Endangered Houses Fund (Photo: Karen Gri"ths)