PDF - 1.62 MB - Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

PartnershipsThe Trust took part in Parks Week (15–22 October2006), Sydney Harbour Week (2–11 March 2007), theNational Trust Heritage Festival (3–18 March 2007) andSeniors Week (11–18 March 2007). Activities includedwalks, art classes, talks and open days.A major installation by Swiss artist Urs Fischer in theconvict precinct of Cockatoo Island was a product of apartnership between the Trust and Kaldor Art Projects.The installation was exhibited from 19 April to 3 June2007. The Trust sponsored an event of the SydneyWriters’ Festival in the convict workshop of CockatooIsland. The Australian author Thomas Kenneally wasone of the writers who took part in the event.A number of collaborations on Cockatoo Islandincluded Urban Islands, an international architecturalstudio/workshop organised by faculty members of theschool of architecture, University of Sydney and aworkshop of students of the Australian Graphic DesignAssociation. An exhibition of the students’ work wassubsequently held at the Powerhouse Museum.Seven sculptures were installed at Lower GeorgesHeights under an agreement with Sculpture by theSea Incorporated. An open day was held at ChowderBay showcasing the facilities and work of the SydneyHarbour Institute of Marine Science.The Trust is a member of the Sydney Urban ParksEducation and Research Group (Sydney Parks Group),established in 1998 to provide a strategic integratedapproach to urban park research in Sydney.School Excursion Program and SchoolHoliday ProgramThe Cockatoo Island school excursion programattracted almost 5,000 students, a 30 per centincrease over the previous year. Approximately 20per cent of the 68 schools that visited the islandwere repeat customers. Programs aligned to thesecondary school history and geography curriculaand the primary school human society and itsenvironment syllabus were presented by the Trust’steam of experienced teacher guides.In March 2007, the Trust hosted a NSW GeographyTeachers’ Association Conference on CockatooIsland. Some 40 secondary school teachers, all newto geography teaching, gained an appreciation ofCockatoo Island as an educational resource for thegeography curriculum. Sculpture workshops weretrialled at Lower Georges Heights in collaborationwith Sculpture by the Sea Incorporated.Development continued of a school excursionprogram at the former School of Artillery, North Head.A school holiday programs was held for youngchildren at Macquarie Lightstation and on CockatooIsland during the year. A children’s activities room atthe Gatehouse Visitor Centre, North Head, opened inJune 2007. The room contains books, posters,maps, specimens and other material on the naturalheritage of North Head.Publications and SignageOne issue of the Trust’s Update newsletter wasproduced and distributed to the mailing list. Theleasing process on various sites generated marketingbrochures and other material, site brochures werereprinted and two self guided tour brochures wereproduced for Cockatoo Island and the former Schoolof Artillery respectively.A range of signage was produced throughout theyear for all sites including temporary signage advisingof civil and other works, internal and externalinterpretive signage and panels, and directional andwayfinding signage.Media Relations and AdvertisingThe Trust continued to receive positive mediacoverage of its activities and maintains a goodworking relationship with both metropolitan andsuburban media.The Trust placed non-campaign advertising inmetropolitan and suburban newspapers to promoteevents, the exhibition of management plans andopen days, and to advertise guided tours.WebsiteIn 2006-2007, there were 192,810 visits to theHarbour Trust website (results based on “new usersessions”). The website meets the AustralianGovernment’s online accessibility standards.13 Annual Report 2006-07