2024 Annual General Meeting

Elected and re-elected Committee members Noel Shang (Deputy Chairman & Database Manager), Doug Cross (Chairman), Chris Peters (Historian) and Mary Sillince (Secretary).

They will join current committee members Nigel Dique, Grenville Stevens, Warwick Mathieson and Jennifer Gray serving the TMA for 2024/2025.

The Tomaree Museum Association (TMA) recently held its Annual General Meeting on Monday 2nd September 24 at the Tomaree Community Centre.

The meeting was well attended by Association members and new committee members elected. The Chairman Doug Cross, Secretary Mary Sillince and Historian Chris Peters were re-elected unopposed, and the committee welcomed new Deputy Chairman, Noel Shang.

The Chairman outlined the many achievements of the Tomaree Museum over the past 12 months, including the momentous decision to merge the Port Stephens Historical Society under the umbrella of the Tomaree Museum Association and welcomed their members into the Association.

TMA has mounted several successful exhibitions at the Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre including the Lighthouses of Port Stephens, the Bidhiinja Oyster Reef exhibition and the 1924 ANZAC exhibition.

The Lighthouses of Port Stephens exhibition, held last August, was supplemented with well attended talks by local identity John ‘Stinker’ Clarke.

In collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum and NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries, TMA was honoured to sponsor the inaugural launching of Bidhiinja, a touring exhibition showcasing the history of oyster reefs in New South Wales and the work currently underway to restore these important ecosystems.

TMA followed this important display with a second consecutive ANZAC exhibition featuring the life and service of Jack Bartlett, the 100-year-old survivor of HMAS Manoora. The organisation looks forward to again working with the Visitor Centre to honour local heroes in 2025. TMA will continue to vigorously persue its quest to establish a permanent home for a regional museum for Port Stephens with the focus on acquiring a building within Tomaree Headland precinct should one become available.

The TMA welcomes new members who are interested in preserving the history of Port Stephens and share our vision for a museum on the Tomaree Peninsula.

For more information please contact us at tomareemuseum@gmail.com or use the form on our website.