Heritage

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Learning about Heritage

Our heritage is literally everything we have inherited from the past. Hence we are all custodians of 'heritage', whether it be family memorabilia, the houses we live in, the records of the organisations we belong to, or the wider community's inheritance from past generations, which is managed by the various levels of government on our behalf.The challenge in managing heritage lies in deciding what are 'the things we want to keep'.

The Heritage Branch of the Department for Environment and Heritage is principally concerned with what is often termed 'built heritage', as opposed to natural and aboriginal heritage. Built heritage includes buildings, structures and places, as well as maritime heritage, such as shipwrecks and whaling and sealing sites.

These Learning About Heritage pages provide a variety of information and resources for the general community and for school students. The following links provide a succinct overview of South Australian heritage agencies and the Heritage Branch in particular.

DEH Heritage Webnote Guide to Heritage Agencies in South Australia

DEH Heritage Webnote The DEH Heritage Branch as a Resource for Researchers

Churchill Fellowship Report

In 2003 the Senior Heritage Interpretation Officer was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate heritage education and interpretation programs in the USA, Canada and the UK. Findings of this Fellowship tour (250Kb PDF).

Understanding South Australia's Built Heritage - PowerPoint

This two-part PowerPoint presentation was developed primarily for teachers to enhance their understanding of the significance and diversity of the State's built heritage, but is of broader interest.

Overviews of Heritage Conservation in SA

P Bell Built heritage: where has it been and where is it going', Heritage South Australia Newsletter No 23, July 2003, pp 4-5.

K Round ‘Preserving and Celebrating South Australia’s Past’ in B O’Neil et al (eds) Playford’s South Australia Adelaide, 1996, pp 319-336.

B Samuels 30 Years of Heritage Acts - Where to now?', Heritage South Australia Newsletter No 32, March 2008, pp 4-7.

B Samuels The Historical Context for Built Heritage Conservation in South Australia', Heritage South Australia Newsletter No 23, July 2003, pp 6-9.

Built Heritage Research Ideas

Since 2005 the Department for Environment and Heritage has sponsored an annual DEH SA Built Heritage Research Fellowship at the Architecture Museum, University of South Australia. If you are not able to apply for a Fellowship but wish to research in the field, this list of possible topics (50Kb PDF) supplied to applicants may be helpful. See also South Australian Heritage Places - Research Leads organised by Type of Place.

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