The contribution made by Alan Ventress to the state of NSW as Director of State Records NSW (as well as previous roles as Associate Director SRNSW, and Mitchell Librarian) was recognised in the NSW Legislative Council on Thursday 20 September 2012.
An account of some recent activities of SRNSW was read out by the Minister for Finance & Services, Greg Pearce.
See the Full Day Hansard transcript (proof):
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hanstrans.nsf/V3ByKey/LC20120920?open&refNavID=LC6_5
and here is the relevant text:
The PRESIDENT: I welcome to the public gallery the outgoing Director of State Records NSW, Mr Alan Ventress. I congratulate him on all his good work for the people of New South Wales in that role, in previous roles at State Records and prior to that as the Mitchell Librarian. We wish him well in his retirement and thank him for his presence in the gallery today.
STATE RECORDS NSW
The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister for Finance and Services. Will the Minister advise the House on recent changes at State Records NSW?
The Hon. GREG PEARCE: I thank the member for this important question. I am sure members would like to hear about some recent State Records projects, including the revitalisation of the State Records exhibition program and, in particular, the establishment of the travelling exhibition "In Living Memory". This exhibition drew on photographs from the Aborigines Welfare Board to make contact with Indigenous communities throughout New South Wales. This wonderful exhibition is currently on display in the Fountain Court area of Parliament House. I urge all members to make time to view this moving tribute to the strength of identity over time of Indigenous communities and families, past and present.
A small exhibition also showcases the many aspects of the work of State Records using the recently promulgated preamble to the International Congress on Archives constitution to emphasise the essential contribution that archives make to democratic society. Again, I urge members to take the time to view this display. Members should be aware also of efforts to establish third party agreements with organisations such as Ancestry.com.au and Find My Past that provide online access to the State's archives. State Records NSW was the first archival body in Australia, and one of the first in the world, to enter into such arrangements as a means of using the internet to reach a potential audience for archival information across the world.
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A recent survey shows that State Records archives have been accessed more than 35 million times on theAncestry.com.au website.
The PRESIDENT: Order! I am finding it difficult to hear the answer to this important question.
The Hon. GREG PEARCE: State Records NSW has again been one of the first archival institutions in the world to embrace social media as a vital plank of its communications strategy and is regarded as a model in this field. Another of State Record's initiatives was the establishment of a pilot program called the Digital State Archives to develop a means to preserve digital archives and make them accessible. This is a major challenge for modern archival institutions and State Records again leads the way in developing solutions in this area.
I join the President in paying tribute to Mr Alan Ventress, who retired as Director of State Records NSW on 14 September, for his contribution to this field. Mr Ventress was involved in the preservation and provision of access to the State's cultural resources first as Mitchell Wing librarian with the State Library of New South Wales from 1993 to 2001 and subsequently as Deputy Director of State Records and Director since 2008. On behalf of the New South Wales Government I express appreciation for the contribution Mr Ventress has made to State Records and to our society as a volunteer for many organisations, most notably as a member of the executive of the Royal Australian Historical Society and the History Council of New South Wales, of which he is a founding member.
I am advised by people who work closely with him that Alan Ventress worked hard to provide opportunities for State Records staff to engage with the community, professional and amateur historians, and genealogists. It a credit to him that there is currently a successful State Records volunteer program with a waiting list of 90 people keen to work as volunteers with State Records at Kingswood in western New South Wales. On behalf of the Government and I am sure all members of this Chamber—
The Hon. Luke Foley: Not even I said it was in western New South Wales.
The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Western Sydney. I wish Mr Ventress all the best in his post-retirement endeavours.
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