By Andrew Paloczi
THE MILITARY collection of Lt Col Alexander (Alex) Paterson DSO MC is heading to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, a team from the AWM assembling at Korumburra RSL last week to assess and record items and prepare them for the journey to the National Capital.
As previously reported, items cover the pre and post WWI periods as well as the involvement of Alex’s 39th Battalion in the Great War.
Sentinel-Times has been keenly following the collection since members of the Paterson family presented it to Korumburra RSL, where representatives of Anzac House in Melbourne determined it was too substantial for them to accommodate.
The items returned to Korumburra RSL to be viewed by a couple of members of the AWM team who were impressed by what they saw, the family having since committed to hand over the collection to the AWM for safekeeping and display.
The AWM team meticulously assessed the haul, photographing and documenting everything, sorting objects into categories and packing them in standardised archival boxes that were supported within crates to ensure nothing could be damaged during the truck journey to the ACT.
Acquisitions conservator Michelle Newton-Evans explained that it’s not a simple matter of taking everything straight to the AWM, with the need to ensure nothing harmful is introduced.
The AWM’s preventive conservation program involves the use of a freezer or anoxic treatment of objects to safeguard against any insect activity, the processes to be carried out at the War Memorial’s facility in Mitchell, ACT.
Generally, items in the Paterson collection are in a good and stable condition, something that is particularly impressive given they are all over 100 years old, the AWM team ensuring anything requiring extra support was managed appropriately.
Further assessment of individual objects will occur after the treatment process.
“We’re looking at material evidence of what’s happened to the object over its life,” Michelle said, noting all information determined will be recorded into the AWM’s collection management system, ensuring it is known down the track exactly what condition everything was in upon arrival.
When it comes to determining what will occur in terms of displaying items, each one will be considered individually.
“When we’re dealing with textiles, because of the type of material it is, there’s a limited amount of time it can be on physical display,” the AWM’s Amanda New, who specialises in military heraldry and technology, said.
The AWM takes a versatile approach to ensure opportunities to display items.
“Because we have limited gallery space at the Memorial in Canberra, we have other methods we use to make the collection available; we loan material to other institutions, and we develop travelling exhibitions, which is beneficial for people who can’t come to Canberra,” Amanda said.
The AWM’s collections database is linked to its website, meaning an electronic record will be available of each item in the Paterson collection, including a physical description and a contextual one detailing Alex’s relationship with that item.
Amanda reflected on the importance of the Paterson donation to the AWM.
“It’s rare to have a collection of this size still intact so far removed from WWI,” she said.
She noted there would have been a number of such sizeable collections in the immediate aftermath of the war but the level of detail and wide range of object types gathered by Paterson is very unusual after the passing of so much time.
Those at the AWM are greatly indebted to the Paterson family for keeping the items together, noting it contains objects that weren’t previously in the national collection, such as an ostrich feather bonnet from Alex’s time in the Victorian Scottish Regiment to which he belonged prior to and after the Great War.
Sentinel-Times looks forward to reporting any developing news in relation to the Paterson collection and its future display.
