Talk:Graeme Henderson

Early life, the finding the Vergulde Draeck and its aftermath

Graeme Henderson was born in Perth in 1947, the second son of author and journalist James, and Marion Henderson. An avid skindiver, Henderson and his friends discovered the wrecks of the sealer Belinda (1824), the Colonial trader Lancier (1839), and dredge Fremantle (1936) in off Fremantle. On Easter Sunday, 1963, at the age of 16, he found, during a spearfishing trip on his father’s runabout, the Vergulde Draeck, colloquially known as Gild Dragon. He saw ballast bricks, anchors and cannon, called together the other divers in the water – flourishing a brick he had retrieved – and led them back to the wreck. Together with his father James, brother Alan and John Cowen, Henderson persuaded the Museum to become responsible for historic shipwrecks in 1963, with a State Crown Law Department Deed of Assignment transferring his finder’s rights to the Museum.

Eleven months after accepting the gift of rights with its bestowed entitlement, the Museum was able to have the State Government enact the Museum Act Amendment Act of 1964, listing as protected ‘historic wrecks’; the English Trial of 1622, the Dutch Batavia of 1629, Dutch Vergulde Draeck of 1656, the Dutch Zuytdorp of 1712 and the Dutch Zeewijk of 1727, together with the unnamed ‘Cottesloe wreck’, then thought to be Dutch or Portuguese and dated ‘approximately 1600’. The 1964 Act initiated in Australia what in later legislation became the field of study described as ‘maritime archaeology’, more recently termed ‘underwater cultural heritage’.

University Education

After completing a bachelor and Master of Arts degres at the University of Western Australia, Henderson's history professor, Patricia Crawford suggested he join the WA Museum, where her anthropologist husband Ian Crawford worked, and where the Director, David Ride, was expanding fields of study from ‘natural sciences’ into ‘human studies’.

Maritime archaeology in Western Australia

While serving as an assistant in the Museum’s shipwreck unit, Henderson developed an awareness of Western Australia’s 19th century shipwrecks and its maritime history. After being appointed Head of the Colonial Shiwprecks unitin the Maritime Archaeology Department, Henderson lead major expeditions and research into the English whaler Lively (c1806), American China-trader Rapid (1811), regional trader Elizabeth (1839), ex-slaver James Matthews (1841) and emigrant ship Eglinton (1852). During recreational activities he discovered (with diving mates) the wrecks of the sealer Belinda (1824), trader Lancier (1839), and dredge Fremantle (1936) in Western Australian waters.

Maritime archaeology in the Eastern States

He developed awareness of Australia’s 18th century shipwrecks, leading major expeditions to the wrecks of HMS Sirius (1790), on Norfolk Island, HMS Pandora (1791) off Queensland, and the Sydney Cove (1799) in Bass Strait.

He helped inspire governments in other parts of Australia, particularly in Queensland, Tasmania and Norfolk Island, to develop underwater cultural heritage research and management programs. He developed Australia’s most comprehensive First Fleet archaeological collection with the excavation of the Sirius wreck. He provided inspiration for the creation of the Sirius Museum through a series of archaeological expeditions at Norfolk Island.

Role in developing the State Shipwrecks Museum

In recognising the need for a venue suitable for permanent bulky shipwreck exhibitions, collection storage, research staff and laboratories he and Ian Crawford sought a suitable venue in a prime oceanfront location. After finding the defunct convict period Commissariat Building in the West End of Fremantle, he and Crawford recommended that the WA Museum acquire and redevelop it as the State's Shipwreck Archaeology Museum. The State Government then acquired the building and this also made it possible for the timbers from the Batavia wreck’s to be raised, preserved and reassembled for permanent public exhibition.

Role in developing and directing the State Maritime Museum

Henderson developed the Maritime Museum’s historic boats collection and recruited the staff to build up and curate one of Australia’s most comprehensive watercraft collections. He also developed a vision for a Maritime History Museum to accompany the Shipwrecks Museum in Fremantle.

As Project Director for the new maritime Museum Director Henderson developed with his staff aspirations and plans for the world class WA Maritime Museum facility on Victoria Quay, Fremantle.

He lobbied successfully to have Australia’s most famous yacht Australia II brought back from Sydney to Fremantle, and used its presence in lobbying for the construction of a new exhibition facility on Victoria Quay.

He was influential in bringing National Centre of Excellence status and funding to the Western Australian Maritime Museum for its work on shipwrecks.

Henderson arranged a partnership between the Museum and the Duyfken 1606 Replica Foundation for constructing on the forecourt of the Shipwrecks Museum the replica of the first European vessel to reach Australia.

At a meeting in London he challenged/inspired David Mearns to come to Western Australia to find the wreck of HMS Sydney, as acknowledged in Mearns’ book The Search for the Sydney: how Australia’s greatest maritime mystery was solved.

By then the new Museum had achieved an international renown and as result Henderson escorted VIPs through the Maritime Museum including HRH Prince Phillip of England, HRH Prince (now king) Charles of England, Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei, HRH Willem-Alexander Prince of Orange, 21st Prime Minister of Australia.

UNESCO and ICOMOS

Henderson led a UNESCO Mission to the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, at Alexandria, Egypt, and recommended the development of an underwater museum. UNESCO subsequently announced in 2008 that it would help Egypt to build its underwater museum, and planning is continuing.

ICOMOS…. As the founding Chairman of the International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH) he played a role in initiating development of a first draft for the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (http://www.unesco.org/en/underwater-cultural-heritage/the-2001-convention/.

Ongoing research and wreck search

Henderson is the founding Chairman of Wreck Check Inc., a group whose objects are to search for, locate, and document underwater cultural heritage. This heritage may be found or unfound.

Awards

2012: Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

2008: Shortlisted for Premiers Book Award for the book Unfinished Voyages.

2003: Centenary Medal, Commonwealth of Australia.

2002: Western Australian Citizen of the Year (Cit.WA): Arts, Culture, Entertainment.

2002: ‘50 Most Inspirational Western Australians’ list (Scoop Magazine winter 2002)

1996: State Government Award as sole Principal Discoverer Gilt Dragon (1656) wreck.

1988: Australian Heritage Award, Individual Category (National Trust of Australia.

1976: Literature Board (Australia Council) Writers Special Purposes Grant

1964: Royal Western Australian Historical Society Schools Essay Prize.

Selected bibliography

• Delgado, James P. (27 June 2019). War at Sea: A Shipwrecked History from Antiquity to the Twentieth Century. ISBN 9780190888022.
• Silent Killers: Submarines and Underwater Warfare. Osprey Publishing. 2011. ISBN 978-1-84908-365-2.
• Nuclear Dawn: The Atomic Bomb from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War. Osprey Publishing. 2009. ISBN 978-1-84603-396-4.
• Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada. University of California Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-520-25976-8.
• Gold Rush Port: The Maritime Archaeology of San Francisco's Waterfront. University of California Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-520-25580-7.
• Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks. Douglas & McIntyre. 2004. ISBN 978-1-55365-071-3.
• Carol Ruppé; Jan Barstad, eds. (2002). "Marine and Underwater Archaeology on the Pacific Coast". International handbook of underwater archaeology. Springer. ISBN 978-0-306-46345-7.
• Joy Waldron Jasper; James P. Delgado; Jim Adams (2001). The USS Arizona: the ship, the men, the Pearl Harbor attack, and the symbol that aroused America. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-28690-3.

He has researched and written about the maritime history of Australia and Western Australia for over forty years.

His discovery of the Dutch East India Company ship Vergulde Draeck (1656) and the passing of his ‘finder's rights' to the Western Australian Museum was the catalyst for developments leading ultimately to the enactment of protective shipwreck legislation and the creation and his becoming Director of two major facilities in Fremantle: the Western Australian Shipwrecks Museum and the Western Australian Maritime Museum. Both achieved World class exhibition and research facilities relating to maritime archaeology and history. In the face of destructive underwater activities on shipwrecks, Henderson pushed successfully for protective legislation at State, National and International levels. His efforts have continued since retirement.

added here - a lot better in a sandbox space, here for the moment JarrahTree 13:24, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

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