Heritage Management and Community Connections

Evolving heritage management practice in Australia is increasingly seeking the participation of people who have special connections with heritage places and also to value community-held knowledge. Cultural significance is now generally understood to encompass a wide array of values expressed in uses, associations and meanings as well as through physical fabric. Changes to the Australia ICOMOS Burra Charter in 1999, which reflect this understanding and seek inclusive participatory processes for stakeholders, have implications for heritage practitioners, as they require the practitioner to be a reflective facilitator, not just an expert. The process used in preparing a Heritage Management Plan for the historic ‘Rocks’ precinct, in Sydney, Australia, used diverse and flexible techniques to connect with and involve residents and other stakeholders. The project demonstrates effective application of the more inclusive principles of the revised Burra Charter.

Figure 4 Occupying a prominent location on the shores of Sydney Harbour, The Rocks is a quintessential symbol of Australian history.

Prof Richard Mackay and Chris Johnston

Prof Richard Mackay, AM was Project Team Leader for The Rocks Heritage Management Plan. He is a Partner of Godden Mackay Logan, an Australian heritage management practice and teaches at La Trobe University, Melbourne. In 2008–09 he was a Getty Conservation Institute Research Scholar.

Ms Chris Johnston, a specialist in social significance, heritage and community engagement, guided community involvement and prepared the Contemporary Community Esteem Paper for The Rocks Heritage Management Plan. Chris is a Director of Context, a consultancy specializing in heritage, place and community.

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Donhead Publishing 2010