The beginning

The formation of Australian Museum Members was announced in The Australian of 26 February 1972 in an article headlined 'A Plan to Put People in Museums',

"...A trendy new wind is blowing past the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Megaterium at the Australian Museum. On March 22, foundation members of The Australian Museum Society (TAMS) will stand beneath the Museum foyer's well-loved sperm whale skeleton and toast their future success from two 18-gallon kegs of champagne."

The Museum's Director Dr Frank Talbot, was also quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald at the time saying

"...the Museum is to give the public what it wants...the Society will organise lectures, seminars, field trips, excursions, previews of exhibitions, luncheon talks and concerts for its members..."

Dr Talbot requested Carol Serventy to chair the interim planning committee, which she launched with 5,000 letters of invitation.

The opening celebrations

The inaugural night was held that March, an exhibition preview and a talk by Dr Jim Specht, then Assistant Curator of Anthropology. Dr Alex Ritchie gave the first Members lecture, and the first grand event was the Chusan Ball. This was Sydney's second Chusan Ball exactly 120 years after the first, also held at the Museum, in 1852. The original ball celebrated the first regular mail service from Britain and was named after the P&O steamship of the day.

The record

In its thirty one years, Australian Museum Members has built up an admirable history of support and fundraising for the Museum, so that it is now the Museum's largest single benefactor, having sponsored Birds in Australia, Planet of Minerals, Dreamtime to Dust and, most recently, search & discover.

The 25th anniversary celebrations

At another grand event, a dinner on 23 October 1997 with Professor Ian Plimer as guest speaker, the original 'culprits' Frank Talbot and Carol Serventy were reunited. They were joined by the Museum Director and staff, corporate sponsors, Members President, Council and members to celebrate 25 years of the Members support of the Museum.

Wendy Wilkins