ANNUAL REPORT 2016–2017 Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales ANNUAL REPORT 2016�17 CONTENTS CONTENTS Acknowledgment of Country 2 APPENDICES 10 The Hon Don Harwin MLC From the Chairman 4 Minister for Resources, Minister for Energy and Utilities, From the Executive Director 5 HHT FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 133 Minister for the Arts, Vice-President of the Executive Council Level 15, 52 Martin Place Highlights 2016–17 6 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Performance overview 8 Program supporters & partners 198 Our vision, mission, values and approach 10 Admission fees & contacts 200 Index 202 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 12 Corporate partners 204 Dear Minister Our museums 13 Picture credits 205 On behalf of the Board of Trustees and in accordance with the provisions of the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Endangered Houses Fund 21 Act 1984, the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 and the Public Finance and Audit Regulation 2015, we submit for presentation to Parliament the Annual Report of Sydney Living Museums under the statutory authority of the Historic Board of Trustees 23 Houses Trust of New South Wales for the year ending 30 June 2017. Senior management structure 28 SLM divisions 30 Yours sincerely Organisational chart 31 Volunteers 32 Foundation for the Historic Houses Trust of NSW 32 Strategic Plan development 33 Michael Rose am Mark Goggin FIVE PILLARS 34 Chairman Executive Director Increasing visitation 34 Deepening engagement 52 Investing in our assets 72 Growing revenue streams 92 The Historic Houses Trust of NSW, SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUMS T 02 8239 2288 Investing in people and culture 100 incorporating Sydney Living Head Ofce F 02 8239 2299 Museums, cares for signifcant historic The Mint E ANNUAL REPORTT 2016a–177 INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY Our museums and places are on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the First Nations Peoples, the traditional custodians, and we pay respect to the Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We understand and appreciate that Aboriginal peoples have deep and continuing cultural attachment to Country and are the rightful interpreters of their history and heritage. In this spirit, SLM values the diversity of Aboriginal connections to the places and landscapes we care for and is informed by the Aboriginal cultural heritage and identity that underpin SLM’s museums and places. This recognition guides the ways in which we create contemporary conversations and experiences at each of our sites. D arug culture rock painting by Muru Mittigar artist Rhiannon Wright displayed at the Eel Festival. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums 2 3 ANNUAL REPORT 2016–17 INTRODUCTION FROM THE FROM THE CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Michael Rose am Mark Goggin The past year has been characterised by deepening tourists; the most popular cultural heritage activity is ‘to A focus of the past 12 months have been initiatives to position Key sites included Two International Towers, the EY Centre at engagement with our audiences and stronger connections visit history/heritage buildings, sites or monuments’. As SLM as a contemporary institution that offers unique, 200 George Street, Macquarie Bank’s offices at No 1 Martin with the precincts and communities in which our properties the Director-General of UNESCO remarked in a recent considered perspectives on the layers of our shared history. Place, the Calyx structure in the Royal Botanic Garden and an are located. Culture urban future summary, ‘tangible and intangible architect’s studio in the heritage-listed former woolstore on Two examples exemplify this. The Demolished Sydney heritage are integral parts of a city’s identity, creating a pier 8/9 at Walsh Bay. To mark the bicentenary of the NSW I am particularly proud of two of our activities highlighted exhibition at the Museum of Sydney invited reflection on the sense of belonging and cohesion’. We are keen to work with Government Architect’s Office and the Rum Hospital at The in this Annual Report. way in which building development and urban change have government and our cultural sector partners to enhance Mint, the program featured over 20 buildings designed and had regard for preserving buildings that document the city’s The first is the ongoing implementation of an Aboriginal Sydney’s identity and reputation. built by the Government Architect, from Francis Greenway’s mix of Georgian, Victorian, Art Deco, industrial and modernist Action Plan. This calls for our organisation to emphasise the St James’ Church of 1822 to the MCA’s Mordant Wing, The past year has seen the repositioning of SLM within the architecture. The ways in which we navigate the tension historic values of our properties and speak directly of the completed in 2012. NSW Government structure. In late January, coinciding with between renewal and the need to preserve heritage and Eora, Darug and Dharawal cultures and the landscapes the appointment of The Hon Don Harwin MLC as Minister character were brought to light through the revealing SLM has enhanced its reputation for diverse and high-quality in which they are built. At the core of the Plan are the for the Arts, SLM joined the State Cultural Institutions within content of this exhibition. learning programs. Of note is the completion of the two-year calendar of Aboriginal cultural events and an Aboriginal the Arts portfolio. Minister Harwin has shown a keen interest Unlocking Heritage pilot project, which assisted over 22,000 Advisory Committee, which helps us connect with Aboriginal The first event of SLM’s series Aboriginal Sydney Speaks in our activities and has been a visitor to a number of our primary school students to participate in a heritage learning people and communities in ways that are respectful of both reflected on Governor Bourke’s 1835 Proclamation, made properties and events. On behalf of the Trustees, I would program at our sites, either through a Travel Subsidy for those Aboriginal history and contemporary Aboriginal culture at the first Government House, now the site of the Museum like to express our appreciation to Minister Harwin and also from identified socioeconomically disadvantaged schools (see pages 66–7). The objective is to develop a deeper of Sydney. This was the first official document to assert the thank the Minister for Heritage and Environment, The Hon or a unique Convict Sleepover for schools from remote and understanding of the country in which our 12 properties are concept of terra nullius, which sat at the heart of British Mark Speakman SC MP, for his support and guidance while regional NSW. situated. In its second year, the cultural calendar of events occupation of Australia. SLM was part of his portfolio responsibilities. has seen new audiences engage with SLM and provided Intergenerational experiences designed to support shared A panel of leading Aboriginal academic and cultural leaders new opportunities for existing audiences to ‘experience a During the year we said farewell to two Trustees, Alastair learning were a feature of programs developed for children explored the legacy of Governor Bourke’s proclamation whole other life’. In the process, we have deepened our Baxter, who had brought great energy and expertise to the and families at the Justice & Police Museum. In the historic in engaging, moving and at times provocative ways, and own understanding of our sites and their significance. boards of both the Trust and our Foundation, and Professor courtroom, participants role-play the legal process to contributed to a larger interpretation project about the site Grace Karskens, who, as one of Australia’s leading historians, determine a person’s guilt or innocence, based on colourful The second aspect is the enhanced positioning of our of first Government House at the Museum of Sydney. added so much to the scholarship, intellectual integrity and cases from our criminal history. properties in the precincts in which they are located. Whether historical focus of our organisation. I would like to thank both Museums are uniquely placed to draw on collections, it be The Mint and the Hyde Park Barracks as part of convict- A particularly impressive outcome has been the quality of Al and Grace for their outstanding contributions and I look archives and libraries, exhibitions and programs to contribute era Macquarie Street; the Museum of Sydney on the site of staff engagement in workshops to develop the Strategic forward to their ongoing connections to SLM. fresh perspectives on contemporary issues. Our repositioning Sydney’s first Government House and a neighbour of the Plan for 2017–22. The extent to which staff from across the as Sydney Living Museums, which commenced in 2013, is now sandstone edifices of Bridge Street; or Rouse Hill estate, Finally, I express my appreciation for the work of the museums identify with the values and objectives outlined in realising the ambition to position us as a unique institution, capturing our early agricultural history in one of Sydney’s Executive Director, his Executive Team and the staff and the repositioning of SLM four years ago was notable. The Plan with multiple venues linked by the narrative of place that urban growth areas, each property is defined by a sense volunteers who have contributed to the many achievements provides the framework for effective collaboration across the informs each. of place. This sense of place is central to the narrative and of the past year. Their knowledge, passion and genuine organisation to conceive and deliver programs, and to foster experiences we offer at each site. welcome to all our visitors are a most important part of the This approach is evident in the five ‘pillars’ that provide creative partnerships with other organisations aligned to a way in which our properties, and their stories, are shared. structure for portfolio and team business plans, and the mission and purpose. Key to the understanding of Sydney is the layering of built reporting structure for this Annual Report. They commit us and natural heritage cutting across time, and the layering of I pay tribute to the Board of Trustees for their wisdom and to become a leader in culturally activated heritage assets, stories, from the ancient story of Country to that of a dynamic guidance over the past 12 months, and to the Executive Team, to be an outwardly engaged organisation that nurtures contemporary city made up of over 200 nationalities. staff and volunteers who have worked with great commitment partnerships and collaborations, and to build diverse to deliver the achievements recorded in this report. We are also conscious of the contribution museums and audiences that are local, regional and international. heritage make to the NSW economy. Cultural and heritage The Sydney Open program exemplifies these ambitions. tourism generates over $11 billion annually, and culture and In its 12th year, the program attracted a record attendance heritage travellers represent close to 60% of all international Michael Rose am, Chairman of over 7700 ticketholders across the weekend, representing a 7% increase on 2015, and 20% on 2014.  A bove and opposite Michael Rose am; Mark Goggin. Photos © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums Mark Goggin, Executive Director 4 5 ANNUAL REPORT 2016�17 INTRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS 2016–17 JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC Bicentenary of the The Artist & the Botanical Spring Harvest Festival at Whale Festival at Vaucluse Demolished Sydney opens at Christmas Fare at the Rum Hospital Collector: The Lost Works of Elizabeth Farm House the Museum of Sydney Hyde Park Barracks Museum Lovegrove and Bäuerlen opens at the Museum of Sydney JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE A new suite of activities Unlocking Heritage Sound Heritage at Refurbishment of Vaucluse Aboriginal Sydney Speaks at Winter Solstice at Elizabeth implemented at the Justice recommences for 2017 Elizabeth Bay House House drawing and the Museum of Sydney Bay House & Police Museum orientation rooms unveiled Top, left to right Panoramic views of Port Jackson (detail), Major James Taylor, 1820. Reprinted by Tim McCormick, 1988, from original copper plates held by Top, left to right Djaadjawan Dancers and Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness at the Whale Festival. Photo © Stuart Miller for Sydney Living the State Library of NSW; 1. Cassia australis [Senna barronfeldii] and 2. unidentifed grass (detail), Gertrude Lovegrove, c1888, watercolour. Caroline Simpson Museums; Museum of Sydney. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums; Christmas Fare. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums; Library & Research Collection, Sydney Living Museums; Spring Harvest Festival. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums; Above, left to right Justice & Above, left to right Vaucluse House drawing room. Photo © Jamie North for Sydney Living Museums; Samuel Wagan Watson (left) and Bruce Pascoe. Police Museum. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums; Students from Athelstane Public School participating in education program Life at the Barracks: Film still © Sydney Living Museums; Winter Solstice. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums Convicts and Migrants, Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums; Theo Small (fute), Professor Neal Peres da Costa, Esther Kim (piano) and Jemma Thrussell (cello) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, at Elizabeth Bay House. Photo © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums 6 7 ANNUAL REPORT 2016f17 INTRODUCTION PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW VISITATION EXPENDITURE 2016–17 SELF-GENERATED REVENUE 2016–17 TOTAL ASSETS AS AT 30 JUNE 2017* July 2012 – June 2017 $26.579 million $7.544 million $281.442 million 592,518 647,051 700,667 1,010,894 1,107,471 O utreach and touring exhibition visitation Property visitation 67.3% Personnel services 31.51% Commercial services* 83.4% Land and buildings SELF-GENERATED REVENUE 24.6% Other operating costs 17.22% D onations and sponsorships 11.2% Collection assets 4.2% Maintenance 31.76% A dmissions 3.8% C ash and cash equivalents July 2012 – June 2017 3.1% Depreciation 7.41% P rograms and exhibitions† 1.5% Other assets† 0.2% Contract staf 5.24% R etail * T he total assets include $13.795m in restricted 0.7% Insurance 3.22% Investments assets which represent bequests and donations held by the Trust to be used in 3.65% Other income accordance with the deed of trusts, caveats * C ommercial services include venue hire, and other documents governing these funds. catering, and rental income from commercial leases. † O ther assets include intangible assets ($1.641m), trade and other receivables † P rograms and exhibitions include public ($1.634m), inventories ($163,000), and plant programs such as Sydney Open, exhibitions and and equipment ($855,000). touring exhibitions. $6.474m $9.102m $7.751m $8.798m $7.544m 8 9 2012–13 2012–13 2013–14 2013–14 2014–15 2014–15 2015–16 2015–16 2016–17 2016–17 ANNUAL REPORT 2016–17 INTRODUCTION OUR VISION OUR VALUES OUR APPROACH A future for the past. • Integrity – We speak and act honestly, • Fun – We wear our professionalism Our commitment to our audience is to recognise mistakes and learn from lightly. We are serious about what maintain the museums, landscapes and OUR MISSION them. We do things that are right for we do and stand for but aim to collections with integrity while presenting To care for signifcant places, buildings, SLM, and we consistently do what we have fun on the journey. the narrative of each in contemporary, collections and landscapes with integrity, say we will do. • Teamwork – We trust and respect compelling and relevant ways. We bring and enable people to enjoy and learn • Passion – We care about SLM and what each other, we listen, and we are a considered and thoughtful approach about them. the organisation stands for and want to fair, constructive and supportive. to revealing the contemporary currency in places and things, and providing share that with others. We actively contribute to improving pleasure and enthusiasm for learning. the way we do business and value • Accountability – We take personal the contributions of others. responsibility for and ownership of Our museums are held ‘in trust’ for future problems and act conscientiously. generations. Each has an individual plan We respond to the needs of our for its conservation and management customers and others. that embraces the specifc qualities, signifcance and histories of that place and guides the approach to activities there. Our role is to give our properties and places a future as valuable as their past.  Rouse Hil House & Farm. Photo © Stuart Miler for Sydney Living Museums 10 11 ANNUAL REPORT 2016f17 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CITY PORTFOLIO OUR CORPORATE MUSEUMS JUSTICE & POLICE MUSEUM GOVERNANCE The Justice & Police Museum occupies three of Sydney’s most important mid-19th-century public buildings, constructed over 30 years by three successive NSW colonial architects. The buildings feature fine sandstone masonry, extensive red-cedar joinery, pressed metal and decorative ceilings, and important surviving features of the site’s history and function (up until the 1980s) as a courthouse and police watchhouse. They are some of the finest intact surviving examples of civic architecture of Sydney Living Museums (SLM) is a SLM cares for portfolio assets valued at more than $267 ‘SLM is the only organisation in Australia the colonial period. Colonial architects Edmund Blacket and leading government agency with Imtsi lbliounilt, ainscsleutdsi ncgo mbupirlidsien gas n, ulamnbd earn odf mhisutsoeruicm b ucoildlleincgtiso ns. doing such a vast range of important cJaommepsl eBxaersn aect rdoessi gNnSeWd baansde bdu oilnt dthoizse enasr olyf fsoimrmila ers ctaobulristhoeuds e responsibility for conserving, managing, dating from between 1793 and 1950, and include several heritage work to a high standard. Our in Sydney. The Scottish architect Alexander Dawson was of the earliest surviving colonial buildings in Australia, cultural institutions are our societies’ responsible for the austere Water Police Station (1858) fronting interpreting and activating places as well as major public buildings of the Macquarie era. collective memory banks, and supporting Phillip Street. and sites of local, national and SLM collects, catalogues and conserves material relating them in this era of rapid change is more The museum houses a unique collection of objects relating to international signifcance. to the organisation’s core themes of domestic material important than ever before.’ crime, policing and legal history in NSW, including weapons, culture; the history of art, architecture and design; and Edward Simpson, SLM Foundation Chair bushranging artefacts, physical evidence from notable crimes, SLM was established in 1980 under the Historic Houses Act aspects of Sydney’s social history related to our sites and and a significant forensic photography archive of more than (NSW). From 1980 to 2013 it was known by its corporate the people who lived there. The collections include furniture, 130,000 cellulose and glass-plate negatives. name, the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales (HHT). ceramics, silverware, soft furnishings, household and Following a significant review of structure and operations in personal accessories, costumes, artworks, photographs 2013, it has been known as Sydney Living Museums. As the and archaeological artefacts. Most objects are on display Act has not been amended to reflect the name change, the to the public. financial statements included in this report retain the name Historic Houses Trust, while all other references adopt the The collections held are valued at more than $31 million. publicly recognised name, Sydney Living Museums. All are of cultural and heritage significance to the history of NSW. The public can access the collections electronically Following changes to ministerial responsibilities announced through a suite of online catalogues, including the Library by the Premier of NSW in late January 2017, SLM was Catalogue, the Pictures Catalogue, the Colonial Plants transferred to the Department of Planning and Environment. Database and the Museums Collections Catalogue. As part of the transfer it joined the State Cultural Institutions – the Art Gallery of NSW, the Australian Museum, Sydney SLM’s sites and collections are promoted both as a Opera House, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, collective of culturally activated heritage sites and as and the State Library of New South Wales – reporting to single destinations. the Minister for the Arts, The Hon Don Harwin MLC. SLM SLM’s exhibitions, public programs and online offer had previously formed part of the Office of Environment bring history to life by exploring various themes, such as and Heritage, reporting to the then Minister for the architecture, botanic art, convicts, crime and policing, Environment, The Hon Mark Speakman SC MP. Aboriginal history, and Sydney’s places and people, past SLM maintains and opens to the public 12 museums: and present. Each exhibition and program is addressed Elizabeth Bay House, Elizabeth Farm, Hyde Park Barracks in a unique way to create an engaging experience for Museum, Justice & Police Museum, Meroogal, Museum of visitors. SLM audiences are local, regional, national and Sydney on the site of first Government House, Rose Seidler international. House, Rouse Hill House & Farm, Susannah Place Museum, At 30 June 2017 SLM employed 133 ongoing staff, The Mint and the Caroline Simpson Library & Research 55 temporary staff and 63 casual staff. It was supported Collection, and Vaucluse House. by 537 volunteers in 2016–17. All the museums are listed on the NSW State Heritage SLM’s direction in 2016–17 was guided by the priorities of Register. The site of first Government House at the Museum the 2010–15 Corporate Plan. During the reporting period, of Sydney and the Hyde Park Barracks are also on the work commenced on the development of a Strategic Plan National Heritage List, and the Hyde Park Barracks is on for 2017–22 (see page 33). the UNESCO World Heritage List. (See also pages 13–19.) 12 LJ uivsitnicge M& uPsoeluicme sMuseum. Photo © Douglas Riley for Sydney 13 ANNUAL REPORT 2016f17 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CITY PORTFOLIO CONT. HOUSE MUSEUMS PORTFOLIO MUSEUM OF SYDNEY ELIZABETH BAY HOUSE The Museum of Sydney on the site of Designed by architect John Verge, Elizabeth first Government House sits above the Bay House was built in 1835–39 for Colonial archaeological remains of Australia’s first Secretary Alexander Macleay and his family. Government House, begun in 1788, which have A superb example of a Greek Revival villa, been preserved below the forecourt. The site it enjoys a magnificent setting overlooking is of national significance as the location of Sydney Harbour and was originally the many early encounters between the British centrepiece of a renowned landscape garden colonists and the local Gadigal, whose developed by Macleay. The elliptical saloon, with its elegant cantilevered staircase and traditional land they had occupied. Opened high dome, is regarded as the finest interior to the public in 1995, the museum was in Australian colonial architecture. The house’s designed by architect Richard Johnson am, interiors are notable for their detailing, and incorporates many references to aspects particularly the quality of the joinery, plaster of the early colonial history of Sydney – such and stonework. as the archaeologist’s grid represented in the paving pattern, the plan of the house The house was restored by the state government and transferred from the outlined in white granite on the forecourt, Elizabeth Bay House Trust to the newly formed and cut-away trenches looking down onto HHT in 1980. Elizabeth Bay House presents the preserved archaeological remains an evocative picture of early-19th-century life below. Sydney’s signature building material, before the economic depression of the early yellowblock sandstone, is featured extensively. 1840s, when Macleay was forced to leave the The museum’s permanent and temporary house. With its extensive collection of early- displays introduce visitors to Sydney’s people, 19th-century furniture, fittings and domestic places and culture, then and now. goods, as well as scientific instruments and specimens, the house reflects the life of a distinguished gentleman collector. SUSANNAH PLACE MUSEUM ELIZABETH FARM Susannah Place Museum is a terrace of Elizabeth Farm is Australia’s oldest surviving four houses incorporating a re-created 1915 colonial homestead, incorporating the corner grocer’s shop. Located in The Rocks, original cottage built in 1793 for John and it was built in 1844 by Irish immigrants Elizabeth Macarthur. It once stood within a and continuously occupied until 1990. 1000-acre (405-hectare) rural property with The terrace survived largely unchanged river frontage on two sides. By the late 1820s through the slum clearances of the 1900s the prosperous Macarthurs had transformed and the area’s redevelopment in the 1970s. the farmhouse into a spacious bungalow It is a rare surviving example of workers’ surrounded by extensive ‘pleasure grounds’. housing from the mid-19th century, once In the late 19th century, urban development ubiquitous but now almost vanished. In 1993 greatly diminished the estate. In 1904 the the then HHT worked with the then Sydney homestead, now on less than 5 acres Cove Authority to develop and open (2 hectares), was bought by William Swann Susannah Place as a museum. Today the for his large family, who lived at and cared museum tells the stories, often overlooked, for the property until 1968. of the lives of ordinary people. Susannah Following restoration carried out by the NSW Place was home to more than 100 different Government Architect, management of the families. Their occupancy is evident in property was passed in June 1984 to the then the many layers of paint, wallpapers, HHT. This marked a new approach to the linoleums, modifications and repairs that presentation of house museum experiences, have survived, as well as the documents encouraging visitors to wander freely, sit on and oral histories assembled from families the furniture, handle the displays and play and descendants of former residents. the piano. From top Museum of Sydney; aerial view of Susannah Place Museum, showing the From top Saloon and staircase at Elizabeth Bay House (detail). Photo Gloucester Street facade. Photos © James Horan for Sydney Living Museums 14 RayJoycePhotography.com; Elizabeth Farm. Photo © Douglas Riley for 15 Sydney Living Museums ANNUAL REPORT 2016f17 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE ROSE SEIDLER HOUSE Émigré architect Harry Seidler was just 24 years old when he designed a new house for his parents, Max and Rose, on a bushland site at Wahroonga. Built between 1948 and 1950, Rose Seidler House is one of the earliest examples of Bauhaus-inspired modernist domestic architecture in Australia, reflecting the influence of Seidler’s mentors Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer. Its original furniture brought by Seidler from New York forms one of the most important post-World War II design collections in the country. Seidler won the 1951 Sulman Medal for his design, and the house was influential, stimulating social comment and intellectual debate as a manifestation of the modernist principles of space, the unity of arts and architecture coupled with structural engineering, and industrial design. It embodied new design and style ideals that gave impetus to the direction of architecture in Australia. The house is presented in its original 1950s scheme. ROUSE HILL HOUSE & FARM Sited midway between Parramatta and Windsor beside the newly constructed Windsor Road, Rouse Hill House & Farm was built by colonial settler Richard Rouse HOUSE MUSEUMS PORTFOLIO CONT. between 1813 and 1819. The fine Georgian homestead is set in one of Australia’s earliest MEROOGAL surviving gardens. Its significance lies in Meroogal, in the NSW South Coast town of Nowra, is the survival of its interiors, furnishings and a fascinating Gothic Revival timber house, designed by domestic objects from six generations of Kenneth McKenzie and built for his older sister Jessie the Rouse and Terry families. Thorburn in 1885. The timber-framed and -clad building The estate was bought by the state is possibly based on American pattern-book designs government in 1978, and in 1987 was popular in the late 19th century. Home to four generations transferred to the then HHT. It opened to of women from the Thorburn/Macgregor family, who the public in 1999. In 2003 it was expanded to lived there until 1985, Meroogal has a rich collection of incorporate a section of the original Windsor personal objects that provide insights into the family’s daily Road turnpike and the presumed site of the routines and social lives. Ownership of Meroogal and the failed ‘Battle of Vinegar Hill’ convict rebellion support of family enabled the Thorburn and Macgregor of 1804. The former Rouse Hill Public School women to live independent lives of modest gentility without was also transferred to the HHT. undertaking paid employment. The house was both a home and an economic resource, with produce from the garden In April 2016, Muru Mittigar, an Aboriginal and orchard, and rent from occasional paying guests and cultural organisation, established a cultural tenants. The house with its collection was acquired by the education centre in an existing contemporary then HHT in 1985 and opened as a museum in 1988. building on the site. Above Meroogal. Photo © Douglas Riley for Sydney Living Museums From top Rose Seidler House. Photo © Nicholas Watt for Sydney Living Museums; 16 Rouse Hil House & Farm. Photo © Douglas Riley for Sydney Living Museums 17