Foundation for the WA Museum

As part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Red Shoes Project is now on display at the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany. The installation is free and aims to highlight that one woman loses their life to gender-based violence every week in Australia. Forensic scientist Dr Paola A. Magni, FameLab Australia 2019 winner and 2024 WA Australian of Australian of the Year nominee, is the driving force behind bringing the Red Shoes Project to Australia. More must be done to stop this horrific violence against women. There is #NoExcuse.

Would you believe it, Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip turned 4 yesterday! 📷 Michael Haluwana, Aeroture, courtesy of WA Museum

Today marks the 83rd anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Sydney II, following a battle with the German raider HSK Kormoran off Dirk Hartog Island during Word War II. The sinking was shrouded in mystery for years, and both wrecks weren't located until 2008. It remains Australia's worst naval disaster. The family of one of the crew members, who perished aboard the ship, has now donated a diary and photo album to the Western Australian Museum. The objects illustrate life on board before the sinking, help us remember the human stories behind the disaster, and honour the legacy of those who lost their lives.

Philanthropist and businessman Tim Ungar has joined the Board of the Foundation for the WA Museum, continuing his long-standing association with the Foundation for the WA Museum and the Western Australian Museum.

The 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month - the anniversary of Armistice Day at the end of World War I, when we remember all those who sacrificed everything for our country in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. By the end of WWI, 32,231 Western Australians – 19% of the male population - had enlisted in the Australian Forces, the highest percentage of any state. The Western Australian Museum is a brilliant place to understand our place in the world, and to learn about the wartime contributions of Western Australians. The image depicts chess pieces made from bullets on the Western Front by John Blake in 1916, on display in the WA Museum Boola Bardip's Tianqi Lithium Gallery Connections.

The Foundation for the WA Museum deeply feels the loss of Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO CitWA, whose unwavering advocacy and support left a lasting impact. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.

The difference teachers make to our young people can’t be overstated. And today, on #WorldTeachersDay2024, we acknowledge the brilliant contribution teachers make to our community. Education, learning and outreach activities are a big part of the WA Museum's work and we encourage all teachers to visit the WA Museum's education program hub to find out more about available student programs and professional learning opportunities. A big thank you to all our teachers for their incredible passion, dedication, and for all the ways in which they inspire our next generations!

On Tuesday, Dr Mikael Siversson, Western Australian Museum’s Head of Earth and Planetary Science, took us on a dive into the deep past during his lecture “The Secret Life of Fossils” at Lawson Flats. Mikael vividly described the WA Museum’s fieldtrips hunting for marine vertebrates from the mid-Cretaceous period, and their discoveries of plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and LOTS of shark teeth! Thank you to everyone who joined us for this fascinating lecture, and thanks to the team at Lawson Flats for hosting us. 📷 Kate Hulett

Are you intrigued by fossils? Then join us at Lawson Flats next Tuesday, when Western Australian Museum's Dr Mikael Siversson (Head of Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences) will chat about some of the fossil specimens held in the WA Museum’s vast fossil collection. Think 380-million-year-old Gogo fish from the Kimberley, 95-million-year-old sharks from the Southern Carnarvon Basin, and megafauna from caves on the Nullarbor Plain! Tickets are just $15.

“Not only has she committed herself to leading the charge into space, she’s educating, informing and, above all, inspiring generations.” We can’t sum up Katherine Bennell-Pegg's visit to Western Australia better than Western Australian Museum CEO Alec Coles. The Foundation for the WA Museum is proud to have worked with so many amazing partners here in WA to make Katherine’s visit possible. A big thank you in particular to the Forrest Research Foundation, the International Space Centre and of course Wesfarmers and the WA Museum Boola Bardip! 📽️ PerthVideo.com.au