Discover another world

NEWSTEAD HOUSE

ANNUAL REPORT 2015 – 2016

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Newstead House is Queensland’s oldest surviving residence and is held on trust for the people of Queensland. On 27 November 2014 the Governor-in-Council appointed a new Board to the Newstead House Trust pursuant to the Newstead House Trust Act 1939. That Act is administered by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection. The Board is comprised of three members, respectively nominated by the Queensland Government (Dr. Daniel Morgan), the Brisbane City Council (Cr. David McLachlan), and the Royal Historical Society of Queensland (Dr. Ian Hadwen). Its heritage significance and its location in a prime setting demand that it be treated with respect and that all our activities are executed to a professional standard. Its present and future conservation and sustainability are the prime considerations. Almost as important, however, is a recognition that the whole point of conserving the property is so that it may be visited and enjoyed by the people of Queensland - whose heritage it is, after all - and by other visitors with whom we wish to share our history and culture.

The House is located within 6 hectares of gardens which are owned and maintained by the Brisbane City Council. The operations of the House are managed by the Board. The Board members are unpaid. Two staff are employed by the Board: Ms. Kim Davis has been appointed the Acting Manager, and Ms. Jennifer Garcia is the Communications and Events Manager. Both of these staff have been central to the success of the House.

In 2015 we commenced a program of revitalisation of the House, the collection, and our operations. Through traditional and social media, innovative partnerships and a range of events, we have

deliberately set out to engage with the public more broadly than has been previously the case.

Central to this new presentation is a recasting of the way the stories of the past occupants are told. The stories connected to the House, including those of the women and the first peoples, are the stories of Brisbane, Queensland and Australia. They deserve to be told in a faithful but engaging way, because the House goes beyond being more than a Downton Abbey theme park.

As can be seen from the body of the report, the revitalisation program has been spectacularly successful. Planning and preparation for significant projects which will come on line in the second part of 2016, like the new interpretation panels and the indigenous history program, has occupied a large part of our time. The organisation of a design competition, in anticipation of a program to revitalise the Sub-Station, has also been an important task. Again, this will launch in the second part of 2016.

At the time of writing, Cr. David McLachlan has tendered his resignation from the Board, but his replacement has yet to be nominated and appointed. David has made a significant contribution to the House generally, and has been generous in his time and counsel to me and the organisation, and I publicly record our thanks.

We extend our thanks to the continued support of the Friends of Newstead House.

May I also record the Board’s thanks for the generous support and guidance provided by the DEHP staff, particularly Ms. Fiona Gardiner, Ms. Ali van der Graaf, Ms. Nicole Mulholland, Ms. Mary Howells and Mr. Ashley Parker.

Dr Daniel Morgan CHAIRMAN

FROMTHE CHAIRMAN

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STRATEGICVISION

To position Newstead House as a premier heritage and cultural precinct, a must do historical destination for local, interstate and international visitors.

Underpinned by a philosophy of making Newstead House a welcoming place to visit, accessible for all, where valuing the learning of our history in an immersive way is an intrinsic part of the visitor experience.

WHAT WE DO

We are a living museum giving life to our past through education programs, exhibitions, interpretation, public programming, and publications. We support the economic and cultural sustainability of Newstead House through community engagement, visitation to the property and public programming.

OUR VISION

Embrace the future, discover the past

OUR MISSION

To conserve the significance of Newstead House, the building, the collection and the landscape with care and integrity offering all members of the community opportunities to enjoy, learn and discover.

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INTERPRETATION

Reinvigorating the interpretation of Newstead House is a priority to ensure the grand home remains relevant and authentic.

Further work continued on the reinterpretation of the collection at Newstead House as outlined in the Dr James Broadbent report commissioned by the Board of Trustees in 2015

Commenced work on the reinterpretation of the Sewing room, to become the Leslie / Wickham room including developing new display

CONSERVATION

The conservation of our grand home and the collection will ensure that generations to come can discover the wonder of Newstead House.

Working bee committee was established to clean and conserve the collection

A number of textile collection items within the interior rooms of Newstead House were professionally cleaned

All rugs within Newstead House collection were professionally cleaned

External shutters were cleaned

Engaged pest management specialists to monitor pest activity as outlined in the Pest Management Report.

COLLECTION

When we know what we have then we can best share our stories.

Full collection was audited and associated digital database completed

Textile and fashion collection was assessed resulting in a complete and up to date digital catalogue

The collection located in the substation was assessed for relevance to House exhibitions

An education collection was created to support the education programs run at Newstead House

OURACHIEVEMENTS

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NEWSTEAD HOUSECOLLECTION

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PROGRAMMING

Through innovative public programming, Newstead House continues to redefine the definition of a house museum. Creating inspirational and memorable events that engage the hearts and minds of visitors and ensures the ongoing relevance of our grand home.

BOATERS AND BEERS

The inaugural Father’s Day Boaters & Beers event at Newstead House encouraged the community to don a boater & celebrate the fathers of this world in the charm and grace of Newstead House. The event aimed to encourage new audiences to visit our historic property, making the day fun and family friendly.

Informal strategic partnerships with high profile neighbourhood businesses were established, allowing Newstead House to utilise their brand names, skills and products to ensure market credibility and a high standard of service on the day.

Attendees

Duration

Boaters & Beers

Father's Day

at newstead house

SUNDAY 6 SEPT • 10AM TO 4PM FAMILY FUN • JAZZ • CRAFT BEERS • HERITAGE GAMES

WWW.NEWSTEADHOUSE.COM.AU

FREEentry

over 1200

6 hrs

LITTLE HISTORIANS FESTIVAL

Targeting families, this festival aims to promote our immersive education program while at the same time stimulating the hearts of children so that they experience history & learning in a fun, interactive way. Running for the second year, the 2016 festival added a number of activities to the program, changed opening hours from all day to 9am – 1pm and welcomed a diverse cross section of the community.

Duration

Attendees

kids FESTIVAL

SUNDAY 15 May 2016

9am – 1pm

www.newsteadhouse.com.auTickets: www.eventbrite.com.auTickets also available at the door

Y Heritage Games

on the greenY Heritage DancingY Washday WondersY Mrs Fletchers KitchenY EmbroideryY Craft stationY Reading cornerY Heritage gardeningY Ride the Penny FarthingY Archaeological DIG

Come play with us

DISCOVER our Grand Home near the heart of the CBD.Another world awaits…

M ake a day of it and bring a picnic to Newstead Park.

This event is perfect for families with children aged 5 – 12, though all ages welcome. Together you can discover how we lived in early colonial days – pre-electricity and enjoy the grace and charm of Brisbane’s oldest surviving residence, Newstead House.

Bring your imagination to

Newstead House and discover what life was like in the

Victorian era

LITTLE HISTORIANS

Families (up to 3 kids) $20 Adults $9 Concession $6 Children $6 All children must be accompanied by an adult

300

4 hrs

OURACHIEVEMENTS

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Little Historians Festival

Inspirational and memorable events, engaging the hearts and minds of visitors

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BNE OPEN HOUSE

Newstead House is proud to be part of the annual Brisbane Open House event. Each year we open our doors welcoming a diverse cross section of the community, many of whom report they have never been to Newstead House. The interest in our historic building and its stories tells us that there is a demand for cultural heritage, reaffirming that Newstead House is the jewel in the crown of South East Queensland’s historic properties.

Attendees

over 800

Duration

7 hrs

OURACHIEVEMENTS

TEDDY BEARS TWILIGHT PICNIC

Partnering with Children’s Hospital Foundation, Channel 9 and Magic 882 Fairfax Media, the inaugural Teddy Bears Twilight Picnic was held in the Newstead House precinct with over 400 attendees. The picnic featured food trucks, kids activities, live cross to the Channel 9 weather during the afternoon and a Teddy Bear competition.

Attendees

Duration

over 400

3 hrs

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Little Historians Festival

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SPECIALEVENTS

ON LOCATION

• Hosted the 74th Commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea organised by the Australian American Association

• Hosted the Australian-American Association Halloween celebration

• Brisbane Writers festival

• Hosted Heritage Council of Queensland AGM

• Musica Viva sunset soiree featuring the Arcardia Quintet

• Queensland Weekender feature (Channel 7)

• Haunted Australia - cable network

• World War II documentary - Discovery Channel

• Weddings

Ceremonies

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Receptions

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Author Sophie Hannah book signing in the drawing room

The Acardia Quintet perform at historic Newstead House

Board of Trustees Dr Ian Hadwen, Cr David McLachlan, Dr Daniel Morgan with Michelle Wade & Lachlan Snow at the Musica Viva Sunset Soiree

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Connecting Threads Exhibition

We successfully launched the Connecting Threads exhibition tracing fashion, fabric and everyday life at Newstead House. This exhibition was made possible with funding received through the Brisbane City Council’s History Grants Program. After more than 18 months of research and discovery, the exhibition explored the fashion and textile collection at Brisbane’s oldest surviving residence using materials of the collection to trace connections between the objects and stories of fashion, material and domesticity. What made this so exciting is the discovery of some truly important fashion pieces dating back to the 18th century. For the first time in our history we delivered an exhibition which featured collection items as well as a digital tour offering visitors further information regarding our collection and hopefully enhancing the visitor experience.

PUBLICATIONS

The Board of Trustees published research catalogue Connecting Threads.

EXHIBITIONS

Our generous verandas offer a unique event experience.

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The Riverside Veranda Long Table, a perfect location for any lunch.

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Breakfast Creek, Brisbane 1873.

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VISITOR NUMBERS

TYPE 2014 - 15 2015 - 16 +/- %

Paying Visitors 3,863 4,954 28.2%

School Students 889 790 -11.1%

Functions 22 22 0%

NEW OPENING HOURS receive overwhelming support from the community

Dec 14 – Feb 15 Dec 15 – Feb 16

497 860

+ 363 + 73%

Funding received from:• Copland Foundation for the indigenous interpretation

• Gambling Community Benefit Fund for the upgrade of the interpretation panels

• Friends of Newstead for the Leslie / Wickham room

YEAR-ON-YEARCOMPARISON

Newstead Park, Cnr Breakfast Creek Rd & Newstead Ave Newstead Brisbane 4006Telephone +617 3216 1846

www.newsteadhouse.com.au

The Board of Trustees Dr Daniel Morgan Cr David McLachlan Dr Ian Hadwen