– Sophie Jensen: One of the things that is really exciting
for people, I think, as we’ve gone through the process
of acquiring this collection,
has been the first time that they walked into
Mr Kennedy’s house and saw all of this material together.
And only in seeing it all together did people realise
the extent, and nature, and excitement,
that comes with a collection of this kind.
(gentle music)
– Mat Trinca: There’s not another collection like it
that’s been in private hands for
the sheer breadth of what’s represented in this collection.
And you can think of many, perhaps all, aspects
of Australia’s past and find something
in this great collection that will represent those moments.
– Trevor Kennedy: This collection, or a lot of it,
all has an Australian theme of some kind.
While it may have been made by Royal Doulton in the UK
it’s got waratah flowers on it,
or while it might be a piece of furniture
that was made in the UK,
it was made out of wood
that was transported from Australia, like she-oak.
Back in the 1800s, Australia per capita
was the richest country on Earth.
And so we were the target for a great deal
of rare and precious objects of one sort or another.
– Sophie Jensen: The significance of this particular acquisition
really can’t be overstated
for the National Historical Collection.
It is quite transformative.
Every single one of these objects
provides us with avenues to explore stories of Australia
that we will never be able to do
with any collection like it.
– Mat Trinca: Trevor’s the other great story of this collection
and how over decades he built this extraordinary assembly
of our nation’s history.
And when you can see Trevor in the collection
and understand the breadth of his interest
you’re struck by the mind of the collector.
– Trevor Kennedy: When I was a kid, back in the days when I was a child,
we used to collect stamps, or matchbox covers,
or something or other.
And it was a great, great pleasure in those days
to the extent that there used to be a junk shop
on every corner.
You know, antique shops, and now they’ve all been taken over
by the internet and the eBays of the world,
et cetera, et cetera.
But hunting around antique shops
was always, you know, a lot of fun.
Because the world has changed so much,
of course, they’re not making these things anymore.
You know, it’s all manufactured in China and elsewhere,
and that Swedish group
that you just sort of stick it together.
So a lot of it’s been lost.
It’s becoming, and has become,
quite valuable in so many areas.
– Sophie Jensen: There is no collection that has
this particular collection’s breadth and diversity,
Not just in terms of the range of dates that it covers
but in terms of the material culture that it represents.
It is unlike anything that people have seen before.
- Mat Trinca: In that sense, this is a great collection
because of its breadth, because of its diversity
of those things that emerge
out of popular culture traditions
that then become very high value over time
and highly collectible,
right through to great works of art
that tell us the story of this nation
that are pieces of our history that cannot be reproduced.
– Sophie Jensen: It’s been a remarkable process
bringing this collection to Canberra
and the process in one sense has only just begun.
We will spend years, now,
documenting and researching these items
and creating an even richer story
that Australians will be able to enjoy.
– Trevor Kennedy: Can’t tell you how grateful I am
to the Museum of Australia for taking on this collection
because it was always my great fear
that it would be dispersed to the four winds.
And there are still quite a few
very serious collections in private hands,
but this is the best of them.