Mature age volunteers are the ‘lifeblood’ of the museum. Their experience and passion are what our visitors enjoy. Image: ANMM.
Deanna Varga, The value of volunteers, Australian National Maritime Museum Blog, 14 September 2016
Did you know that here at the museum we have over 1200 volunteers? Some 450 regularly volunteer onsite.
Volunteers are extremely important to our visitor experiences and a big part of our 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor.
Why do museums have volunteers?
They help bring the museum to life and consistently add vitality to your visit. We know this from feedback – just reading the reviews related to volunteer guides on TripAdvisor, you get the sense straight away that they really make a difference to all types of visitors. Volunteers work across the museum – in a diverse range of areas. While many volunteers are visitor facing, there are also many volunteers who work in the ‘back of house’ helping, researching and supporting numerous and varied museum functions.
Why are our volunteers different?
Here at the museum we offer unique activities in a large outdoor precinct with many tall ships and vessels to see (including HMB Endeavour, HMAS Vampire, HMAS Onslow and HMAS Advance). Many of our volunteers have served in the Royal Australian Navy or have a connection to Australia’s maritime heritage through family history. Others are enthusiastic about sailing, ships and community. This is what makes our volunteers so different: they have a personal connection to the items in our collection as well as a passion for all things maritime.
