Defining Symbols of Australia Appeal

Thank you to all our donors who helped us reach our fundraising target. The Defining Symbols of Australia Appeal is now closed. The Defining Symbols of Australia touring exhibition launched in 2021.

Your generous donations enabled us to:

• Support regional museums and galleries by providing a core exhibition from which they can create a bespoke show to reflect their own community.
• Enable Museum curators to visit and work alongside regional counterparts to create and install the exhibition.

In 2009 the Museum's Symbols of Australia toured the nation and encouraged visitors to explore the diversity of Australian symbology: the official and the popular, the organic and the imposed, the natural and the man-made, the old and the new.

More than a decade later Defining Symbols of Australia builds on the original iteration by looking at how Australian symbolism and our perceptions have changed. How do we read to the symbols today? What might we choose as an alternative? How important are these symbols to our national Identify?

Defining Symbols of Australia is a travelling exhibition from the National Museum that explores our affinity to iconic Australian symbols such as Uluru, the national flag and wattle. The exhibition is based on our 2009 show Symbols of Australia which also toured across the country.

The Museum will travel exhibition panels depicting each symbol. Venues will then look to their own collections to add objects and works of art that explore how these symbols relate to their local community. In this way the new exhibition will be a collaborative venture between the Museum and the regional venue.

We would like to thank and acknowledge our donors to the Defining Symbols of Australia Appeal, including those who would like to remain anonymous.

Donors $1,000–$9,999: Margaret Anderson, Ailsa George, Suzanne Maple-Brown, Li Li Teh and Colin Macdonald, Kylie Winkworth

Donors $50–$999: Sally Bachelard, Anna-Rosa Baker, Dr Norman Bakker, Nerida Barges, Dr Christine Biggs, Robin Blake, Keith Bradley AM, Helen Brinsmead, Howard and Jennifer Brown, Dr Geoffrey Burkhardt, Dorothy Cameron, Carol Cartwright, Alex and Linda Church, Elizabeth Cowan, Diana Ecclestone, Robert Forbes, Linda Freasier, Robin Gibson, Elizabeth Grant AM, Helen Harvie, Heather Henderson AM, Dr Thelma Heyde, Meredith Hinchliffe, Jo Hirschfeld, John and Danielle Hyndes OAM, Dr Anthea Hyslop, Judith James, Dr Joseph Johnson OAM, Patricia Kneebone, Janet Lapworth, Robin Long, Chris Lord, Rob Lundie, Ben and Marina Maguire, Graeme Mayo, Victor McGrath, Margaret McLeod, Pip McNaught, Joan Merrell, Eveline Milne, Anne Moroney, Ruth Morschel, Anne Moten, Neil Munro, Jenny Myers, Dr Anthony Nicholls, Jenny Nicholson, Pam Nicolson, Nicolson family, Constantinos and Dimitra Nikias, Dr Rosemary Nixon AM, Jim and Sophia Notaras, Lorraine Ovington, Lynette Philipson, Jacqueline Pinkava, Marylou Pooley, Justice Richard Refshauge and Barbara Refshauge, Sanya Ritchie OAM, Prof Robert Shanks, Philip Roper, Alan Rose, Linda Shaw, Dr Marion Simpson, Joan Ten Brummelaar, Frank and Jennifer Van Der Korput, Ross Warren, Gabrielle Watt, Sharon Watts, Norman and Joy Wheatley, Richard White, David Williams, Dr Ian Willis