The National Museum & Art Gallery is embarking on developing a long term military heritage policy for communities, sites and artefacts along the famed Kokoda Trail.
This effort reflects the Museum’s role as one of the four partner institutions of the Kokoda Initiative, to care for the environment, the people and the Track itself in the region between Owers’ Corner and Kokoda.
The Museum’s caretaker manager, Alois Kuaso, said the Museum has a greater role in protecting and preserving the nation’s heritage and ensure the collections are given greater emphasis. It further focuses on protecting and promoting artefacts available after World War II and the stories that surround them.
The Military Heritage Initiative will be headed by Dr Andrew Connolly, a historian by profession who studied indigenous and colonial history in the Trobriand Islands.
Dr Connolly will work closely with staff of the Modern History Museum to conduct in-house trainings in the aspects of war relics and how to better manage the collections of the Museum.