In 1978 Jim Dorman founded the first museum on Lord Howe Island, sharing a small cottage with the RSL. Jim became the President and Curator until 2002. During the 1990s he enlisted the help of Ian Kiernan to raise the funds to build the new museum, completed in 2000.

Local artist Anna Thompson has a talent for portrait painting and the museum committee commissioned Anna to complete a portrait of Museum founder Jim Dorman.

We did find a sponsor for this project, Beatrice Claflin, the daughter of Dean Claflin. Dean was a good friend of Jim and had worked with Bill Lambourne on a number of museum projects in the 1980s, including completion of a wonderful scale model of the SS Morinda, which forms part of the permanent shipping displays in the Historical Gallery. The portraits will hang above the door into the James Dorman Historical gallery.

2005 was the 25th Anniversary of the Woodhen project. The Museum and Lord Howe Island Board jointly funded production of a new book to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the rescue of the Woodhen.

This book gives information on often asked questions about the Woodhen, plus the story of its rescue from the brink of extinction in 1980. The production was provided by LHI Museum volunteer committee members Ian Hutton, Sue Nichols and Margaret Murray.

The production of the book is an acknowledgement of the success of the Woodhen rescue, a good souvenir for visitors to Lord Howe Island, and also will provide an income stream for continuing improvements to the Museum displays. 

Mary Hines was born in Toowoomba, Queensland in 1922. She met her husband Eric – an ex-serviceman and Lord Howe Islander – on a tram in Sydney in 1944, married him four weeks later and moved to the Island soon afterwards. Mary’s daughter Shirley was born on the Island in 1947.

Mary and Eric opened the Curio Shop at their home site near the shores of the Lagoon. The recommencement of tourism after World War II prompted Mary to compile this booklet, one of the first booklets available to tourists on Lord Howe Island, describing the landforms, history and attractions.

Shirley now lives in Sydney, and in 2012 had this booklet reprinted in memory of her mother, and to support the Lord Howe Island Museum. 

This AC Delco generator was used by the Dignam family for household power in the 1940s and 1950s. These generators were manufactured in the USA from the 1930s and were widely used by the US army in Australia during World War II.

Electricity did not become available for the general community on Lord Howe Island until 1953 when the Department of Transport installed large generators to power air navigation equipment. Up until then the island community relied upon smoking and salting meat, or ice chests for keeping food. 

This generator has been part of the museum’s collection for some 20 years. Funds were used to engage local mechanic, Bing Simpson, to give the generator conservation treatment to limit future oxidation and preserve the original character. 

This lavish 264 page colour book is a celebration of World Heritage Lord Howe Island. Sponsorship of the book came following a visit to the Island by Michael Looker, Director of the Nature Conservancy (Australia), who felt that it is important to promote Lord Howe Island as an example of world’s best practice environmental management by the Lord Howe Island Board and the New South Wales government. 

Stephanie Speakman and Tom and Margaretta Brokaw from Delaware USA arranged funds for the project through the Nature Conservancy. 

The Nature Conservancy has donated the books to the Lord Howe Island Museum to provide a source of income to continue the Museum operations and improve displays promoting World Heritage values of the Island. 

In 2013 the Museum carried out a major extension to the front verandah. This has provided an attractive setting for residents and visitors to enjoy the Museum facility, and also the cafe and internet services. This project cost the Museum considerable funds but it could not have been completed without the extraordinary generosity of many volunteers. 

Ken Lipscombe – Port Macquarie builder donated nine weeks of his time and expertise to construct the verandah to the highest standard.

George Warner – Committee member and engineer donated his time to the design and liasison with the LHI Board for approvals, and assisting Ken Lipscombe in the construction and arranging freight of all materials.

Brian Leslie – Port Macquarie painter donated his time and professional skills to paint the whole extension.

Margaret Murray – local artist who designd and painted the wonderful murals at each end of the verandah.

Matt Nulty – local teacher and qualified electrician installed the wiring and lighting system for the verandah.

Garth Nichols – provided accommodation for Ken and Eilenn Lipscombe while Ken was working on the project.

One of the greatest assets of the LHI Historical Society its large collection of photographs and negatives dating from 1900. 

The collection captures unique aspects of Lord Howe Island’s history such as the palm industry and shipping, along with families, weddings, schooling, farming, fishing and tourism.

This project enabled the purchase of scanner and software to digitise the collection, and a research assistant to carry out scanning of around 3,500 images. It is envisaged the collection will grow, with donations and acquisitions. 

This display was designed to show how introduced animals were part of the way of life for previous generations, the impacts those animals had, the benefits since cats, pigs and goats were removed in the 1980s, and to prompt consideration of what might be done about rodents. The display features artwork, photographs and design by local artist Margaret Murray and Curator Ian Hutton. 

The design, construction and installation of the display was funded by various donations from The Lord Howe Island Board, Peter Dowling, and Janet White & Neil Fordyce, in 2012.

As on most islands around the world, exotic animals were introduced to Lord Howe Island either deliberately as stock or pets, or accidentally as in the case of rats, mice and frogs. Some of these animals have had an impact on the flora and fauna of the Island. However since the 1970s these impacts have been recognised, and there have been major conservation projects involving removal of cats, pigs and goats. 

A challenge ahead for the community and government is to achieve eradication of rodents, which would provide the most significant benefits of any conservation measure on the Island. 

The discovery of Lord Howe Island is closely linked with the settlement of Australia by Europeans and the establishment of a penal colony on Norfolk Island. This original 1790 map shows all three settlements – New South Wales, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, and detail of Sydney Cove.

This map provides a valuable addition to the museum collection and forms an integral part of the displays in the James Dorman Historical gallery. The donation was made by Dick and Pip Smith, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Dick’s first climb of Ball’s Pyramid in 1964, and included a custom-made frame.

Lord Howe Island was discovered on 17th February 1788, by the First Fleet ship Supply. One of the earliest maps made of the Island is this 1789 map by John Stockdale, England.

Mr Bradley Trevor Greives kindly sponsored the purchase and framing of this map in 2005.

This map provides a valuable addition to the museum collection and forms an integral part of the Discovery displays in the James Dorman Historical Gallery. 

Peter van Dijk, managing director of Galexia, an internationally recognised new-technology systems consulting firm, installed free of charge a remarkably sophisticated computer system, enabling the Museum to upgrade the entire digital services it can offer. This system archives all collections of documents and photographs, as well as allowing access to these collections to visitors in the display galleries via iPads and television screens.

Peter spent many weeks researching, programming and installing this equipment. Indeed he continues to remotely monitor and upgrade the service from Sydney. Without the expertise and selfless donation of time, the Museum would not have been able to afford such a valuable system; a service that we estimate to be in excess of $60,000.

Part of this upgrade is a public-access internet service that allows visitors to access the internet via Museum computers or their own electronic device. This is a valuable service to visitors, and provides revenue to cover the cost of hardware for this system. 

The Lord Howe Island Museum holds a large library collection of books, magazines, journals, films and articles related to the cultural and natural history of the Island.

This Lord Howe Island Board community grant enabled the appointment of a part time researcher to be employed to organise and catalogue these items.

The catalogue software used enables items to be given a number of entries and labels. A search can be made for all items held that relate to a particular place, person, topic or theme. This software is the same as used to catalogue our photographic collection, and will be a valuable asset for residents and researchers to use to locate information about the Island’s natural and cultural history. 

The Ian Kiernan Environmental gallery interprets the World Heritage natural history of Lord Howe Island. One of the reasons for World Heritage Listing of the Island in 1982 was the biodiversity. This section on biodiversity is a major component of the Environmental displays and is titled From Coral Reef to Cloud Forest.

The Lord Howe Island Board contributed this funding through a grant from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, to celebrate 25 years World Heritage of Lord Howe Island.

The display features designed photo/text panels, original art work by local artist and digital monitors screening videos and slide shows of the flora and fauna.