Western Australian Museum Annual Report 2003-2004

29
Western Australian Museum–
Science and Culture
the power of Akhenaten waxed and waned, and a spectacular statue of Meryneith and his wife.
Professor David spoke of the mummy research programs at Manchester, and also took small
samples of the partial mummies in the Western Australian Museum’s collection for inclusion in
the Manchester Tissue Bank. There is considerable local interest in Egypt’s past, an interest
that the Museum’s Education and Learning Centre will build on as its programs on mummification
gain popularity.
Moya Smith presented a museum@work lecture on the Museum’s Ancient Egyptian amulets
which attracted considerable public interest.
Research and Collections
Despite the heavy commitment of staff time to relocation issues, it was possible to maintain
some small commitment to research. Charles Dortch continued fieldwork on offshore islands
near Perth to determine the presence and antiquity of early human occupation on these islands,
once hills in a larger Australian continent. This continued his long-term research on pre-colonial
patterns of life and archaeological evidence of early settlement. The discovery of a chert artefact
in-situ in old soil horizons near Rottnest lighthouse produced great excitement, with some
geomorphologists suggesting a possible antiquity of up to 76,000 years, which would have
made this discovery the oldest human artefact in Australia and changed our understanding of
human arrivals. However, subsequent analysis suggests the date was more likely in the order of
23,000 years. He presented this work at a museum@work lecture attracting an audience of
nearly 150.
After 35 years at the Museum, Charles Dortch retired at the end of 2003. His ongoing commitment
to archaeological research and his unflagging enthusiasm will be greatly missed.
Ross Chadwick, in conjunction with Mr Ken Colbung, undertook some experimental kangaroo
skin cloak-making. Ross has been keen to detail the production process and relative effectiveness
of different types of awl and sinew for joining skins. In the process the department also hoped
to have a cloak that could be used for various ceremonies. Building on this, Ross Chadwick
and Moya Smith visited Albany Museum to work with local Nyoongar elders on cloak making.
The results of these workshops were presented at the Museums Australia regional conference
in Geraldton, occasioning great interest. The department is now keen to examine early cloaks in
international collections, specifically examining the type of stitching used.
Anna Edmundson was seconded to MuseumLink during the year, before taking leave without
pay to undertake a PhD at the Australian National University on Chinese-Australian artists.
HISTORY
The Relocation Project and the complex process of planning facilities and packing collections
for the move from the Perth site to Welshpool dominated work for the past year. During this
period of intense activity one of the challenges for staff has been to continue providing other
essential operations. For the History Department this has included managing all aspects of the
Fremantle History Museum and Samson House from front-of-house staff to public programs
such as the school education programs, tours and community access exhibitions. It has been
important to ensure that this public facility has not suffered as a result of the Relocation Project.
In August, the department was fortunate in having Stephen Anstey join its ranks. Stephen’s
extensive experience as a museum curator and collections manager has been invaluable during
this critical period.
As a result of closure of the Francis Street building, History staff, together with curatorial
colleagues in the Anthropology Department, have been involved in reworking the Aboriginal
gallery Katta Djinoong for relocation to the Hellenic Gallery. This has involved extensive revisions
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2003–2004