The National Trust of Queensland is a community organisation which works to identify and conserve Queensland's heritage. It is part of a network of independent Trusts that operate in every state and territory in Australia and is linked internationally to a broader network of Heritage organisations around the world.

 

The National Trust movement began in England in the 1890s and first arrived in Australia in 1945, when the New South Wales Trust was formed to raise community awareness of widespread destruction of the built and natural heritage in Sydney. The movement quickly spread across Australia with the other states establishing Trusts in the 1950s and 1960s, The Northern and Australian National Territories were the last in 1976. Each state and territory Trust is fully autonomous and is totally responsible for managing its own affairs.

 

The National Trust of Queensland [NTQ] has been operating since 1963. For its first ten years it operated solely with volunteers, but increasing pressure of activity led to the appointment of its first permanent staff member in 1974. It now employs four permanent and two part time staff in its head office at National Trust House, 95 William Street, Brisbane (built in 1865 as an Immigration Depot, then later the Department of Agriculture from 1890, later renamed the Department of Agriculture and Stock). The NTQ is governed by a council (elected by NTQ members) and has an executive officer in management. One of the Trust properties - Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary - has its own board.

 

NTQs major activities include:

 

raising the profile of heritage in Queenaland

 

lobbying government to support our heritage through legislation and through its government agencies

 

working to improve the situation of owners of heritage properties

 

managing 14 heritage properties and opening them to the public

 

identifying, researching and assessing places of heritage significance

 

operating 20 tax-deductible heritage conservation appeals - mostly for churchs, but presently (as at 2011) also the Brisbane City Hall restoration

 

running a number of heritage awareness activities including Heritage Week, the Queensland Heritage Awards, and the Queensland Heritage Icons; it is also associated with Brisbane Open House

 

raising funds to support all this work since, while the Turst is governed by an Act of Parliament, it is not part of government and is not funded by government

 

From time to time there are specific "campaigns" associated with a heritage property (e.g. The Regent Theatre in Brisbane) or heritage issue (e.g. the proposed North Bank development in Brisbane) in which the NTQ is involved.

 

It is difficult for the above activities to all be done by the small staff, so there is a large reliance on many volunteers, especially associated with the NTQ properties that are open to the public.

 

[This profile uses material prepared by Dr. D. M. Gibson-Wilde in 2007]