April 18th is a major celebration for ICOMOS and each year the state representatives of Australia ICOMOS organise a number of activities around Australia so that you can celebrate the diversity of the world’s cultural heritage with colleagues, and along with ICOMOS members the world over. It is important to note that this day is not (and never was) called ‘world heritage day’!
Australia ICOMOS welcomes other conservation-minded organisations celebrating this day by organising their own heritage activities: however, we ask that you use the correct title to promote the day. This day is about more than ‘world’ heritage sites – it seeks to raise public awareness of the full diversity of cultural heritage places and landscapes whether they be of international, national or local significance.
About the day
In response to a proposal by ICOMOS, 18 April was endorsed as The International Day on Monuments and Sites by UNESCO in 1983. This special day offers an opportunity to raise public awareness concerning the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability. Through its Scientific Council, ICOMOS develops a triennial plan for the themes for the International Day on Monuments and Sites. Australia ICOMOS joins with our colleagues around the world to celebrate and promote this theme by holding activities, conferences, colloquia or other events to raise awareness among the public, the owners of heritage places, or the public authorities by linking a global theme to local or national realities.
For more about the current year’s theme, visit the ICOMOS website.
About the theme for 2021: Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures
Acknowledging global calls for greater inclusion and recognition of diversity, the International Day for Monuments and Sites 2021 invites participants to reflect on, reinterpret, and re-examine existing narratives.
Conservation of cultural heritage requires critical examination of the past, as much as its practice demands provision for the future. Debates on the omission and erasure of certain narratives, and the privileging of particular stories over others, have come to a head in recent years. Addressing contested histories hence involves complex conversations, avoiding biased views and interpretations of the past.
The World Heritage Convention (1972) states: “deterioration or disappearance of any item of the cultural or natural heritage constitutes a harmful impoverishment of the heritage of all the nations of the world” – however imbalances in recognition, interpretation and ultimately, conservation of various cultural manifestations continue to exist.
ICOMOS wishes to engage in promoting new discourses, different and nuanced approaches to existing historical narratives, to support inclusive and diverse points of view.
For more about the theme, visit the ICOMOS website.
Download the 18 April 2021 leaflet.
About the theme for 2020: Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility
Now, more than ever, the theme of Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility is important as an expression of our global unity in the face of the ongoing worldwide health crisis.
Why ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’?
The theme of ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ reflects the global context of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of rapid population shift, conflict, and environmental uncertainty. The theme recognises that heritage – whether places, landscapes, practices, or collections – are frequently connected with and valued by multiple and diverse groups and communities. At its core, the overarching theme is concerned with the relationships between cultures or cultural groups and their collective responsibility for the care and safeguarding of the significant attributes, meanings, and values of heritage.
Download the 18 April 2020 leaflet.
To celebrate the 2020 International Day for Monuments and Sites, Australia ICOMOS has set up a Sharing & Showcasing Science Heritage webpage, to share and showcase some of Australia’s significant science heritage – the forgotten and invisible, as well as the well-known. Science heritage is a heritage that is shared across scientific disciplines and technologies and between scientists/technologists and heritage practitioners; it is a shared responsibility that should be shared more broadly with the community.
About the theme for 2019: Rural Landscapes
In 2019, the theme is Rural Landscapes – which is linked to the theme of the 2019 ICOMOS Scientific Symposium on Rural heritage to take place in October in Marrakesh, Morocco.
Download the 18 April 2019 leaflet.
This year’s International Day for Monuments and Sites offers the opportunity for National and International Scientific Committees to raise awareness about the relevance of rural landscapes, the challenges that encompass their conservation, the benefits that these efforts provide, and how rural landscapes are intrinsically related with sustainable development. The Day represents an unparalleled opportunity to foster communication and build links with communities while acknowledging their involvement in the creation, existence, evolution and richness of these rural landscapes, and no doubt, in their conservation.
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events during 2019 to celebrate the “Rural Landscapes” theme. Information on events that took place across Australia is outlined below.
Professor Bruce Pascoe
Author of Dark Emu, Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture
In 1982, ICOMOS established 18 April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. UNESCO approved it the following year during its 22nd General Conference. Since then, 18 April has been a day to celebrate and promote cultural heritage, and an opportunity to raise awareness about its diversity, its relevance, how vulnerable it can be and what the needs and benefits of its conservation are. The 2019 theme for the day is ‘Rural Landscapes’.
ICOMOS has defined rural landscapes as “terrestrial and aquatic areas co-produced by human-nature interaction used for the production of food and other renewable natural resources, via agriculture, animal husbandry and pastoralism, fishing and aquaculture, forestry, wild food gathering, hunting, and extraction of other resources, such as salt. Rural landscapes are multifunctional resources. At the same time, all rural areas have cultural meanings attributed to them by people and communities: all rural areas are landscapes.”
Australia ICOMOS is honoured to have Professor Bruce Pascoe deliver the Jim Kerr Address, which honours the late Dr James Semple Kerr. Professor Pascoe’s award-winning publication Dark Emu powerfully reveals the overlooked heritage of Australia’s landscapes prior to colonisation and presents a radically different picture of Australia’s original inhabitants, and how they maintained their culture over millennia.
#18April #ICOMOS #rurallandscapes #IcomosIDMS2019 #jimkerraddress
Date, Time & Place: 18 April 2019, 5.30 for 6.00pm start, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
BOOKINGS CAN BE MADE AT THIS LINK.
This event is proudly sponsored by the Heritage Council of NSW and the Sydney Opera House.
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The 2018 Attingham Summer School – A study of historic houses and gardens in the United Kingdom, Adelaide, 17 April
Please join Heritage South Australia, in partnership with Australia ICOMOS, for South Australia’s International Day on Monuments and Sites event on Wednesday 17 April 2019 at 4.30pm in the Level 8 Kitchen Area, 81-95 Waymouth Street, Adelaide.
At this event you will have the opportunity to hear from:
- Chris Payne, recipient of the Alex Copland Attingham Scholarship to the 2018 Attingham Summer School in the United Kingdom
Each year, the Attingham Trust in the United Kingdom offers three programs that explore historic residences, their collections and landscapes: the Attingham Summer School for the study of the English country house, Royal Collection Studies and the Attingham Study Program. From time to time, additional courses are offered such as the London House Course.
The Copland Foundation offers a number of valuable scholarships for Australians to attend Attingham Trust courses, including the Alex Copland Attingham Scholarship.
Chris Payne, a Paintings Conservator at Artlab Australia, was the 2018 recipient of the Alex Copland Attingham Scholarship.
Chris started work as a trainee conservator 50 years ago at the Art Gallery of NSW, specialising in fine art. Over time he became more involved with historic building interiors, including rehabilitating old farmhouses in his spare time, which has given him a good understanding of structural preservation. The 2018 Attingham Summer School involved Chris spending 3 weeks travelling the length of England looking at a wonderful variety of historic buildings. Given there were also lectures most evenings, Chris found this great experience was a little overwhelming.
Please come an join Heritage South Australia and Australia ICOMOS, where we will hear Chris talk about his 2018 Attingham Summer School experience.
As places are limited, please book early via this link.
About the theme for 2018: Heritage for Generations
The 2018 theme for the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites is Heritage for Generations led by the ICOMOS Emerging Professionals Working Group.
Sharing stories and the transfer of knowledge between generations is a crucial step in cultural development, characterising the human experience since time immemorial.
“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow” – Nelson Mandela
The ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites Day 2018 seeks to celebrate:
- Inter-generational transfer of knowledge: engagement across the global community to emphasize the importance of knowledge exchange between generations to promote the ICOMOS ethos for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage;
- Youth leadership: Emerging Professionals in each country will take the lead in organising events that focus on reaching the younger members of the wider public community by showcasing the creative use of social media.
Communication across generations of heritage practitioners generates enriching exchanges. Combining the knowledge of experienced practitioners with the energy and dynamism of newer members brings about a more holistic approach to ongoing initiatives.
The International Day for Monuments and Sites 2018 is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of intergenerational exchanges when it comes to safeguarding and celebrating our heritage. Activities to foster fruitful dialogue between generations may include, but are not limited to: conferences, lectures, training sessions, round-table discussions, poster sessions, pub nights involving Q&A sessions with younger and older members of professional and non-professional heritage communities, interactive site visits to heritage properties and others.
Download the 18 April 2018 leaflet.
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events during 2018 to celebrate the “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” theme. Information on events that took place across Australia is outlined below.
Presented by Australia ICOMOS in association with the Sydney Opera House and the Heritage Council of NSW.
The 2018 guest speaker is Professional Historian Dr Lisa Murray, whose talk is titled Monuments and Memories: re-assessing colonial imperialism.
Public monuments and memorials have been a vital form of commemoration that have shaped our collective memory and understanding of history for generations. Monuments have been erected by governments and institutions, private citizens through public subscriptions, and by individuals. They function to reinforce power and privilege, shaping public narratives. Memorials help people to remember, but at the same time they also assist in the art of forgetting. The meaning and social values of monuments are never static. Monuments take on layers of meaning through interpretation, cultural practices, re-inscribing and protest. The broadening of historiography in the late 20th century has allowed many groups of people to challenge the dominant colonial imperial narratives and to add other voices to the historical dialogue.
This lecture will reflect upon how the social values of monuments evolve and the challenges in addressing conflicting memories, both European and Aboriginal social values, in our public monuments.
Dr Lisa Murray is a Professional Historian. With over 15 years of experience in the field of public history, Lisa is passionate about making history accessible to the public. Lisa is the award-winning author of planning histories and a regular contributor to debates around public history, including being a speaker at TEDxSydney in 2013. Her most recent books are Sydney Cemeteries: A Field Guide (NewSouth Publishing, 2016), which won a National Trust Heritage Award, and Our City: 175 Years in 175 Objects, an expansive catalogue that accompanied an anniversary exhibition at Sydney Town Hall in 2017. Lisa is currently writing a history of Australian Cemeteries, to be published by the National Library of Australia. Other research interests include history in the digital age; sensory urbanism; history and creative practice; landscapes and memory; the Dictionary of Sydney; Sydney music; and Sydney cookery books.
MC for the event will be Laura Matarese, who is the Planning and Heritage Policy Officer at the Sydney Opera House. Prior to joining the House, she was a heritage consultant in Australia (2007-2014) and most recently worked at the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, in the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative on the Eames House, Salk Institute and education and training projects (2014-2018). Laura was awarded a US/ICOMOS internship at the Presidio Trust, San Francisco (2013). She holds a master’s degree in heritage conservation from the University of Sydney and is a member of ICOMOS’ International Scientific Committee for Twentieth Century Heritage.
Date, Time & Place: Wednesday 18 April 2018, 5.30 for 6.00pm start, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
This event was proudly sponsored by:
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The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and Australia ICOMOS invite you to the launch of the Australian Heritage Festival Victorian program on Wednesday 18 April, the International Day of Monuments and Sites.
This event is a discussion panel that will examine the evolving field of heritage in Victoria, recognising the increasing interdisciplinary nature of the heritage profession and emerging practitioners. It is presented in partnership with Australia ICOMOS, and with support from the Australian Collaboratory for Architectural History, Urban and Cultural Heritage (ACAHUCH), Melbourne School of Design. The event will draw on current movements that demonstrate how communities value heritage places and will consider the role of heritage in underpinning place-making in our urban and regional centres.
The confirmed panellists are:
- Maddison Miller – Archaeologist, Heritage Victoria; Co-chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group to the Clean Air and Urban Landscape Hub of the National Environmental Science Program
- Adam Mornement – Associate Principal, Heritage, Lovell Chen; Australia ICOMOS Executive Committee
- Stephen Rowley – Planning consultant; Lecturer in the School of Global Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University
- Tanya Wolkenberg – Team Leader Heritage, City of Melbourne
The panel will be chaired by Felicity Watson – Advocacy Manager, National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
Where
Singapore Theatre, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Masson Rd, Parkville VIC 3010
When
6:00-8:30pm, Wednesday 18 April. Light Refreshments will be provided from 6pm
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Australian Heritage Festival Launch on the International Day for Monuments and Sites, 18 April, Brisbane
Unconventional Heritage: Archaeology & Acoustics – how places and music can tell the story of our city
The National Trust of Australia, in conjunction with the Department of Environment and Science and Australia ICOMOS, invites you to celebrate Queensland’s rich heritage with the launch of Australia’s Annual Heritage Festival!
The event will feature Archaeologist Dr Jon Pragnell and Musician and Historian Dr John Willsteed.
The 18th April marks the start of the Australian Heritage Festival and is also the International Day of Monuments and Sites. The National Trust of Australia (Queensland) is proud to collaborate with two premier heritage organisations to bring you an evening of entertainment and inspiring talks in the birthplace of modern Brisbane.
Date and Time
Wed. 18 April 2018
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm AEST
Location
Spring Hill Reservoir
230 Wickham Terrace
Spring Hill, QLD 4000
To commemorate the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites (18 April), a book launch and ICOMOS drinks are being held at the Japanese Room, Melbourne School of Design (University of Melbourne) at 6pm on 19 April. The event is sponsored by Lovell Chen Architects & Heritage Consultants.
Streetwise Design – A Practical Guide for New Development and Adaptive Reuse in Asian Liveable Heritage Cities, published by Think City (Malaysia), is the third and final book in a series of Streetwise books by Australian conservation architect, Elizabeth Vines. It provides practical design advice for local communities, which are challenged by the need for new, appropriate infill development and adaptive reuse of existing heritage buildings. While the book focuses on the Asian context, it outlines principles that are applicable worldwide, and is comprehensively illustrated in colour by international and Australian examples.
For more information, see the Streetwise Design Melbourne book launch flyer.
RSVP by Thursday 16 April to Adam Mornement by email.
About the theme for 2017: Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism
In 2017, the theme is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism”, chosen in relation to the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The 18 April program is led by the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee and the participation of the worldwide ICOMOS network.
“Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” is an important theme in the context of conservation in the 21st century. At the outset we should remind ourselves that ICOMOS has been a leader in this field over many years producing the first ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter in 1976 and the second – endorsed by the General Assembly in Mexico – in 1999. During 2017, the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee Cultural Tourism is leading a Review of the Charter and looks forward to contributions from National and International Scientific Committees in providing feedback through the meetings and events they organize to celebrate ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites 2017.
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events during 2017 to celebrate the “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” theme. Information on events that took place across Australia is outlined below.
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The Jim Kerr Address on the International Day for Monuments & Sites, 18 April 2017, Sydney
Presented by Australia ICOMOS in association with the Sydney Opera House and the Heritage Council of NSW.
The 2017 guest speaker is Richard Johnson AO MBE, whose talk is titled HERITAGE – INHERITANCE “Contemporary Relevance and Continuity”. The talk explores that which we have inherited from the past and its continued value and contemporary relevance as an expression of our living culture.
Richard Johnson AO MBE is a recipient of the AIA Gold Medal in Architecture and has practised both nationally and internationally – all involving exceptionally sensitive design solutions. His interests are broadly spread beyond architecture, urban and exhibition design. Richard is active in the professional and educational arenas and was recently appointed Honorary Professor of Architectural Practice at the Faculty of Built Environment at UNSW.
MC for the event will be Dr Tracy Ireland, Associate Professor of Cultural Heritage, University of Canberra.
Date, Time & Place: Tuesday 18 April 2017, 5.30 for 6.00pm start, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
This event is proudly sponsored by:
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Tasmania’s Historical Tourists, Their Legacy – Our Heritage, and Sustainable Management, free public lecture, 20 April 2017, Hobart
Where
Royal Society Room, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart
When
5:30 for 6:00pm, Thursday 20 April 2017
(tea & coffee will be available from 5:30 to 5:50pm)
Speakers
- Marion Walker (Consultant historian) – speaking on historical tourism in Tasmania
- Anne McConnell (Consultant, M ICOMOS) – speaking on the heritage of historical tourism in Tasmania
- Jane Harrington (PAHSMA, M ICOMOS) – speaking about the sustainable management of heritage sites in the tourism context and using Port Arthur as a case study
The MC will be John Wadsley (Consultant, M ICOMOS).
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Sustainable Heritage? How does sustaining Cultural Heritage relate to Sustainable Tourism? Panel/Talk, 20 April 2017, Canberra
A panel with Rachel Jackson, Penny Spoelder and a member of the Ngunnawal community
Part of the Australia ICOMOS Canberra Talks
This year’s theme for 18 April – the ICOMOS International Day on Monuments and Sites – is Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism. This theme provokes various questions:
What is Sustainable Tourism when related to Cultural Heritage, what is ‘Sustainable Heritage? Is an emphasis on the economic viability of tourism a detriment to heritage? What are issues for maintaining a place’s heritage values, whether its physical form or a community’s intangible connections? The panel will present perspectives on these questions to be followed by a Q&A.
A member of the Ngunnawal community is expected to share how visiting Indigenous sites is both a positive experience for visitors, yet a potential risk and impact on cultural values and protocols.
Rachel Jackson, GML Heritage Principal actively promotes the importance of heritage in a sustainability context and is a member of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Energy and Sustainability, and the Australia ICOMOS national committee for this topic. Rachel specialises in heritage projects for complex heritage sites, with a focus on cultural landscape management, heritage sustainability and adaptive reuse. She has provided heritage advice for significant heritage places such as the Australian War Memorial, Old Parliament House, the Port Arthur Historic Site, and the Australian National University.
Penny Spoelder is the new Director of ACT Historic Places. Her work experience encompasses conservation planning and management and commercial use across Australia: at Kosciuszko alpine resorts, Goat Island, Quarantine Station North Head, and Fort Denison in Sydney, Port Arthur and Maria Island in Tasmania, the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in WA, and Fort Queenscliff, Victoria. She has also worked in New Zealand, the South Pacific, and for the UN in Mongolia.
See other discussions of this topic at the Australia ICOMOS website.
Refreshments are available! (A $5.00 donation is appreciated)
Date & Time: 5.00-7.00pm, Thursday 20 April 2017 – note 5.30pm start for talk
Venue: Menzies Room, National Archives of Australia, East Block, Queen Victoria Terrace, Parkes (enter from Kings Avenue side)
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Marking the Rolls – Preserving Queensland’s Architectural Heritage, 18 April 2017, Brisbane
Marking the Rolls – Preserving Queensland’s Architectural Heritage will see the official launch of a new digitised architectural research resource by the Honourable Dr Steven Miles MP, Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection and Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef.
With the support of the Board of Architects, The University of Queensland’s Library has digitised the rolls of architects from the Queensland Government Gazette, from 1930 to 1980. They are now available online and freely accessible as an architectural research tool for students, academics and historians.
Date: Tuesday, 18 April
Time: 6.15pm for 6.30pm start
Location: Level 4, Fryer Library, Duhig Tower (2), UQ St Lucia Campus
Cost: Free of charge
Following the event there will be light refreshments and a tour of our Centre for Digital Scholarship.
This event is generously supported by Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and Australia ICOMOS.
About the theme for 2016: The Heritage of Sport
The 2016 theme for the ICOMOS International Day on Monuments and Sites celebrated on 18 April is: The Heritage of Sport.
“Sport is part of every man and woman’s heritage and its absence can never be compensated for.” – Pierre de Coubertin
The Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016. ICOMOS wishes to dedicate the 2016 International Day for Monuments and Sites to the heritage of sports, since sports have developed from the origin of mankind onwards and have left testimonies to the diversity of installations and facilities related to their practice, many of them bearing outstanding values related to the development of architecture, art and techniques.
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events during 2016 to celebrate the “Heritage of Sport” theme. Information on events that took place across Australia is outlined below.
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Tour of Adelaide Oval, 10 April 2016, Adelaide
To celebrate this year’s International Day on Monuments & Sites, ‘the heritage of sport’, SA ICOMOS members can undertake a tour of Adelaide Oval on Sunday 10 April 2016. The tour will be run by one of Adelaide Oval’s expert volunteer guides. The tour will take you behind the scenes at Adelaide Oval and include access to restricted areas, such as the old scoreboard, media and player areas. Commentary on the place’s heritage will also be provided by ICOMOS member Michael Queale of Grieve Gillett Anderson who wrote the Conservation Management Plan for the place.
Tour costs are $22 (adult) and $12 (child), to be payable in cash to Deborah Lindsay, State Rep on the day of the event. The tour will start at 10:15am and go for approximately 90 mins, however we are required to meet at 10am. Anyone is welcome to attend the tour – the cost is the same for family members. ICOMOS members will go for a social drink afterwards in a nearby café or pub.
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The Jim Kerr Address on the International Day for Monuments & Sites, 18 April 2016, Sydney
Presented by Australia ICOMOS in association with the Sydney Opera House and the Heritage Council of NSW.
The Jim Kerr Address pays respect to his legacy by perpetuating open enquiry into the understanding of place and the constant review of progress in conservation philosophy and practice.
The event will be preceded by a tour of Sydney Opera House at 3.00pm.
Date, Time & Place: 5.00pm, 18 April 2016, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
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Celebrate the Heritage of Sport at the MCG, Melbourne, 18 April 2016
VICOMOS will celebrate the day at one of Melbourne’s most iconic heritage sites, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Join us for a talk on sports history by Jed Smith, Manager of the National Sports Museum, followed by a walk on the arena and a guided tour of the inner sanctum of the MCG.
Date: 18 April 2016
Time: 5 pm to 6.30 pm
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Australia ICOMOS / National Trust (VIC) conference: The People’s Ground, 5-8 October 2016, Melbourne
The extraordinary Melbourne Cricket Ground – popularly “The People’s Ground” – is the inspiration for this conference. This acknowledges that heritage is for and about people and community. Whilst place is central to conceptions of heritage, is it not intangible values – stories, memories, connections, emotions – that reveal and sustain our heritage?
The MCG is included on the National Heritage List, although its continual evolution means that most of the fabric is barely thirty years old. It has shared Aboriginal and non-Indigenous heritage values, and a prominent history to match its location in the landscape of the Yarra River.
The significance of the MCG extends far beyond that of a mere sports stadium. It is an integral part of the fabric of Melbourne and the nation, and has gained an egalitarian image as “the people’s ground”. (MCG NHL citation)
Join Australian and international experts this October at The People’s Ground for a once in a century gathering.
About the theme for 2015: ICOMOS 50th anniversary
In 2015, ICOMOS will celebrate its 50th anniversary. All National Committees and members are invited to organise events to make this a memorable jubilee!
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events to celebrate the 2015 theme. Information on events that took place across Australia is listed below.
- The Inaugural Dr Jim Kerr Memorial Address on the International Day for Monuments & Sites, 18 April 2015
Presented by Australia ICOMOS (NSW) in association with the Sydney Opera House; the Heritage Division NSW Office of Environment and Heritage; and the National Trust of Australia (NSW)
The Annual Jim Kerr Memorial address pays respect to his legacy by perpetuating open inquiry into the understanding of place and the constant review of progress in conservation planning practice. The event will be followed by a tour of Sydney Opera House.
18 April 2015, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney 2000
- Australia ICOMOS conference: Fabric – Threads of Conservation, 5-8 November 2015
Australia ICOMOS’ conference Fabric is a forum to gather and debate the issues associated with the conservation of heritage fabric.
Issues include: understanding and stewardship of traditional and technical conservation skills, engaging communities in conservation, advancing conservation knowledge, exploring new technologies, and fostering of training opportunities for the future conservation and interpretation of heritage fabric.
About the theme for 2014: The Heritage of Commemoration
Monuments and sites, including those more complex and diversified forms of heritage places such as living landscapes, are tangible carriers of the memory of a part of the human experience. Thus, through their authenticity and integrity, they contribute, in their way, to the commemoration and transmission of values which include history.
The theme provides an opportunity to present those constructions that have been intentionally created with the purpose of commemorating an event, a person, an idea, etc. This choice of theme is partly inspired by the centennial in 2014 of the beginning of the Great War of 1914-1918.
The heritage of commemoration takes a variety of forms: engraved inscriptions, mausoleums of exceptional architecture or works of monumental sculpture, more modest elements reflecting vernacular traditions or dedicated landscapes such as cemeteries or memorial gardens. This heritage also includes elements that were given a commemorative value; for example, ruins or industrial vestiges accompanied by dedication plaques, or public squares whose toponymy commemorates a historical event or individual.
Australia ICOMOS organised a series of events to celebrate the 2014 Theme around the 18th of April and later in the year. Information on events taking place across Australia can be obtained by clicking on the links below. Should you wish to learn more about the potential events please contact your State Representative or email Kerime Danis, Secretary, Australia ICOMOS.
- International Day on Monuments and Sites event, Sydney, Monday 10 April
- SA ICOMOS Event to celebrate International Day on Monuments and Sites 2014, Wednesday 16 April
- International Day on Monuments and Sites event, Fremantle, Wednesday 23 April
About the theme for 2013: The Heritage of Education
The theme for 18 April 2013 – The International Day on Monuments and Sites – is the Heritage of Education. The theme was announced during the last ADCOM meeting held in Beijing and will focus on schools, universities, libraries, academies, etc. in their expressions in different geo-cultural contexts.
Throughout history and in different geo-cultural contexts, education was practised in a wide range of places or buildings. Open spaces, agora or the protective shadow of a tree could be useful for the transmission of knowledge, but also specific institutional buildings such as schools, universities, madrasas, academies, libraries, monasteries, etc.
Many of those buildings, groups of buildings or sites are recognised as bearing not only social or institutional values but also historic or artistic ones, and have therefore become a significant part of our cultural heritage.
The protection and conservation of the heritage of education not only implies preserving cultural assets but also, at the same time, celebrating education as one of the fundamental human tasks.
Information on events that took place across Australia can be obtained by clicking on the links below:
- “The History of Education and the Values of Cultural Heritage” lecture, Perth, Tuesday 16 April
- “Education in different geo-cultural contexts” seminar, Sydney, Thursday 18 April
- International Day on Monuments and Sites event, Brisbane, Thursday 18 April
- Professor Laurence Loh lecture, Adelaide, Monday 22 April
About the theme for 2012: World Heritage
World Heritage – This year’s theme has been chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, which was adopted in 1972. The focus will be on “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities” – which spans their involvement in the nomination process, management and conservation of properties, but also as actors and beneficiaries from a socio-economic perspective, and holders of indigenous management practices and traditional knowledge. ICOMOS welcomes the theme chosen as it represents a continuation of the theme of the ICOMOS 17th General Assembly Scientific Symposium.
Click on the links below for information about Australia ICOMOS events celebrating The International Day on Monuments and Sites for 2012.
- Wednesday 18 April – INTERNATIONAL DAY ON MONUMENTS AND SITES NSW SYMPOSIUM
- Wednesday 18 April – “Why World Heritage: The Realities and the Potentials for Communities” forum, WA
Australia ICOMOS held a National Symposium on this theme in November 2012. Click on the link below to read the report from this Symposium
About the theme for 2011: The Cultural Heritage of Water
The Cultural Heritage of Water – Water is one of the key resources required to sustain life. It has led to the development and generation of significant material culture in the form of items, technology and places. How to obtain it, how to store it, how to harness its power and conserve it has motivated human endeavour in a myriad of ways.
Click on the links below for information about Australia ICOMOS events celebrating The International Day for Monuments and Sites for 2011.
- Sunday 3 April – Open day at Cataract Dam (NSW)
- Sunday 10 April – Visit to Susac Lime Supply (WA)
- Saturday 16 April – Visit to the Murtoa Stick Shed (VIC)
- Monday 18 April – Visit to offices of Riddel Architecture (Fortitude Valley, QLD)
- Monday 18 April – Heritage of water on Cape York Peninsula (James Cook University – Cairns, QLD)
About the theme for 2010: Agricultural Heritage
In 2010 the theme drew international attention to the issues facing the conservation of the world’s Agricultural Heritage.
The 2010 year falls midway in a triennial program celebrating the Heritage of Technology.
Click here for information about Australia ICOMOS hosted activities celebrating this day for 2010.
