Our year in review 2023

Every day, our work is supported by a passionate group of volunteers, members, donors and others who contribute in countless ways to our operations.

In 2023, an incredible 16,700 hours of time and energy were donated by our volunteers to activities ranging from guiding visitors and delivering events to gardening, sewing, digitisation, indexing and cataloguing, conservation, research and outreach.And while this year we changed the format of our flagship Sydney Open program, our dedicated team of volunteers remained as strong and essential as ever to making the event a success.

Our supporters also responded generously to our annual appeal, enabling us to continue to digitise our collections, including items related to Susannah Place and Rose Seidler House, photographs held at the Justice & Police Museum and trade catalogues in the Caroline Simpson Collection. Others supported specific projects or donated items directly to our collections. Highlights include over 3,000 wallpapers collected and donated by architects Phyllis and John Murphy, and the Vaucluse House Kitchen Garden Rejuvenation Project, which was made possible through the generous support of the F&K De Angeli Foundation.

Members give their support year-round in many and diverse ways. Member events held during 2023 include the Members Hour program at our properties, a preview and curator-led tour of The People’s House exhibition and a tour of the Wentworth Mausoleum at Vaucluse House.

To all our donors, volunteers, members and supporters, we extend our sincerest thanks.

Annual Giving

A Curriculum Program Deliverer showing students Leg irons in the Learning Space at Hyde Park Barracks

Annual Giving: engaging with history

This financial year, our Annual Giving program gives you the opportunity to enrich the lives of children across NSW and beyond through the power of education

Our special thanks

Concert at Elizabeth Bay House
Latest News

Scenes that are Brightest

Annual Giving Donor Concert, Sunday 12 February

Horticulturalist Stephen Goldsworthy planting seedlings in the kitchen garden
Conservation

Vaucluse House kitchen garden

The Vaucluse House kitchen garden recently underwent a significant rejuvenation project to preserve the site and allow it to continue to be used as a valuable educational resource

Palmer & Co. Bar, Sydney
Past event

Members: Collections in Practice with Sibella Court

A members-only session of a fascinating conversation between research librarian Dr Matthew Stephens and interior designer and historian Sibella Court

Acquisition of the John and Phyllis Murphy wallpaper collection

Wall to wall: a marvellous wallpaper collection

A remarkable donation of over 3000 wallpaper samples by John and Phyllis Murphy adds to our existing collection to form Australia’s largest repository of historic wallpapers

Partnerships

This year, we’ve embarked on some exciting new partnerships and strengthened many established ones ...

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