Watermarks 2011 a great success
Context was delighted to be a sponsor of Watermarks – Water’s Heritage, the joint National Trusts of Australia and Australia ICOMOS conference held in Melbourne on 27-30 October. Context presenters were Chris Johnston, David Helms and Aron Paul, and Natica Schmeder was on the conference organising team. The conference brought together heritage experts, historians, planners, architects and traditional owners from around Australia to discuss key issues in recognising and caring for Australia’s water heritage.
The conference was opened on board Melbourne’s iconic Polly Woodside and held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Chris co-presented Water country: sharing the Gunditjmara cultural landscape with Eileen Alberts restoring a nationally significant Aboriginal cultural landscape (Click here for presentation).
In Water places to civic spaces, Aron told the story of how Lake Marma at Murtoa became a place of special cultural significance and in Innovative and Visionary: the Yan Yean water supply system, David presented a snapshot of this iconic water supply system constructed between 1853 and 1892.
In her Rapporteur’s address Chris drew many of the conference threads together, reflecting on the need for our heritage to engage in broader policy debates around water. You can read a copy of her address here (Click here for Rapporteur's address).
Besides intellectual edification, the conference banquet at the ghostly Old Melbourne Goal was delicious, and the company of colleagues in the field both old and new was scintillating and engaging. We can hardly wait to see you all at the next Australia ICOMOS conference.