International visitors programme Australia: shared maritime heritage

As part of the international visitors programme heritage, Kevin Jones, director of the South Australian Maritime Museum and Paul Hundley, director of the Silentworld Foundation, have been invited to the Netherlands from April 26 untill May 3, in order to deepen and improve international cultural collaboration in the heritage field and contribute to the establishment of a sustainable international network.

Furthermore, the South Australian Maritime Museum is planning an exhibition in 2020 on the European exploration of the Australian coast. The Netherlands has played an important role in the maritime history of Australia, since the Dutch explored the Australian coastline more than 150 years before James Cook. Reminders of the shared maritime history of Australia and the Netherlands can be found all over the Australian continent, for example in geographical names referring to Dutch explorers such as Tasmania, Schouten Eiland and Cape Leeuwin.

Kevin Jones and Paul Hundley will visit collections in the Netherlands that relate to Australia, including shipwrecks and old maps, at the Tropenmuseum, Zuiderzee Museum, Marine Museum and Rijksmuseum. During these visits Jones and Hundly will also be introduced to heritage experts and diplomats to exchange knowledge.

Kevin Jones has a profound background in Australian and Southeast Asian history. His museum explores, preserves and celebrates the human history of Australian oceans and rivers. In May 2017 France’s Ministry for Culture and Communication awarded him the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for services to the arts. Paul Hundleys Silentworld Foundation is supporting Australian maritime archaeology, history, culture and heritage. Next to that, he is a maritime archaeologist and museum professional with almost forty years of relevant experience.