Museum Of Flight Ready For Take-off
Illawarra Mercury
Friday June 27, 2003
AUSTRALIA'S Museum of Flight is ready for take-off after Shoalhaven City Council approved a $30,000 donation.
The Nowra museum was feeling the pinch after the collapse of HIH Insurance, which was one of its major sponsors, and a drop in tourism to the region.
Museum chairman Neil Ralph had requested Shoalhaven City Council consider offering the troubled museum a financial lifeline in March.
Councillors, at a council meeting earlier this week, voted unanimously to donate $30,000 from the 2003-04 uncommitted donations allocation to the museum.
The donation was made on the basis the museum prepare a business and marketing plan and that council general manager Russ Pigg request the organisation consider the appointment of a council representative on the board.
Shoalhaven Mayor Greg Watson said the council should provide support to a valuable resource for tourism and history in the region.
``Council has shown a level of foresight and leadership I hope will inspire other organisations to consider participating as a sponsor in the museum," Cr Watson said.
Mr Ralph said there were plans to continue upgrades on the facility that, before it was privatised in the late 1980s, was run by the Australian Navy as a naval museum.
He said the museum had requested the manufacturers of the Concorde consider exhibiting a Concorde at the Nowra facility once they are no longer in service.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
