Presidents Log

Presidents Log Flying Update:

On behalf of the Association I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

I congratulate Mr Kevin Sumption of the National Maritime Museum & Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London (UK) on his appointment as the new Director of the Australian National Maritime Museum. Kevin takes over in February from Mary-Louise Williams who is retiring after 23 years at the ANMM. Mary-Louise and her team at the ANMM have been great supporters of our Association through our partnership in the Frank Broeze Memorial maritime history prize competitive. I look forward to continuing this successful partnership with the new Director.

Speaking of the Frank Broeze memorial maritime history prize, the winner for 2011 was announced at the Vaughan Evans Memorial (VEM) Lecture on 9^th December. Congratulations to Professor Iain McCalman for his book ‘Darwin’s Armada’. The details on this and also the winner of the inaugural community maritime history prize can be found elsewhere on this website.

The VEM Lecture was a great success with 120 people attending a highly entertaining lecture. Our inaugural Kenneth McPherson Memorial lecture in June was also a great success and I thank Felena Alach and the WA Museum – Maritime for hosting the lectures within their Batavia Lecture Series. Please keep an eye out for our next lecture in 2012.

Speaking of 2012, the Association is proud to be sponsoring the Ocean’s Past IV conference in Fremantle in December. This is an international conference and everyone is welcome to register. Further details can be found at http://hmapcoml.org/oceanspast/

Our AAMH web site has been updated during 2011 and I thank Ian Chambers for his work, particularly in introducing a comments page which also doubles as a question and answer service. We are planning more updates and additional services in 2012.

Belem Tower, Tagus River, Lisbon.	Close up of the Monument to Henry the Navigator, Lisbon.	Recently captured pirate craft at the entrance to Portugal’s Maritime Museum, Lisbon.
Dubai Fort on the bank of Dubai creek houses an impressive museum with a strong focus on its maritime heritage.	Port of Riva del Garda, Lake Garda, Italy. Paddle Ferry G Zanardelli, entered service in 1903, diesel replaced steam in 1983.	Greenwich Green from Observatory to Queen Anne’s House and beyond to the Thames. Maritime Greenwich is a world heritage listed precinct. The precinct includes the Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, University of Greenwich, Trinity College of Music, Greenwich village and the Cutty Sark.
Entrance to Portugal’s Maritime Museum, Lisbon. The Museum is close to Belem Tower and the Navigator Monument. Exhibits are in labelled in Portuguese and English.	Entrance to Spain’s Naval Museum, Madrid. Free for visitors (take your passport). Get a smart salute from the naval rating at the door! The Museum makes use of models, paintings and artefacts to describe Spain’s naval history. It is organised according the periods of the reigns of Spain’s Monarchs and periods of the Republics. Generous exhibitions of the period of the Napoleonic war, in particular actions at Trafalgar and Cadiz, and the war with the USA from the Spanish perspective	River Seine craft tied up for winter in Paris.