Heritage management experts from Australia, Hong Kong and Macau
met in Hong Kong to explore collaboration in cultural heritage.
Translated from the original:
Section 2, page 2
Heritage management experts from Australia, Hong Kong and Macau are
meeting in Hong Kong to explore collaboration in cultural heritage
Heritage management experts from Australia, Hong Kong and Macau are meeting in
Hong Kong, from 17-19 November 2008, to discuss heritage preservation and
management issues and explore possibilities for cooperation and information sharing.
Vinod Daniel, Chair of AusHeritage, Australia’s International Network for Heritage
Services, leads an official delegation of nine members for the three-day visit which
includes a one day interactive symposium, followed by field visits to historic sites in
Hong Kong and Macau.
The joint symposium on Adaptive Re-use of Heritage Buildings and Sites: Local and
Overseas Experience will be opened by Mrs Carrie Lam, the Secretary for
Development of the Hong Kong Government. Australian Consul-General, Mr Les
Luck, will also speak at the opening.
Mr Luck said “This is a good example of enhanced ties between Australia, Hong
Kong and Macau in a specialised area. The Australian Government is very supportive
of such cooperation in promoting cultural heritage through exchanged technical
experience.”
AusHeritage will be working very closely with the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural
Services Department (LCSD) and the architectural program at the Hong Kong
University for this interaction.
Mr. Vinod Daniel said “The challenge for preserving cultural heritage in today’s
economic and developmental environment is enormous. Preserving the cultural past
for future generations must be a high priority whether it is tangible such as buildings
and artefacts, or intangible such as languages and practices.”
“A strategic partnership between Australian, Hong Kong and Macau heritage
managers could better tackle the enormous challenges of heritage preservation,
including the careful adaptation or adaptive re-use of some heritage places, in our
respective urban and regional environments,” he added.
AusHeritage has been active in South-East Asia for the 14 years and has been
working with ASEAN’s Committee on Culture and Information to prepare strategic
plans for preserving the region’s cultural heritage. The organisation’s members
include Australian universities, national collecting institutions, state galleries, libraries
and museums, private architectural firms and private and government conservation
services.
The three-day visit is partially supported by the Australia-China Council (Department
for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia). 2008-11-18-JVK-AusHeritage.pdf
