The St Helena National Trust recently joined the International National Trusts Organisation [INTO].  The organisation includes large and small national trusts as members and offers opportunities for small trusts like St Helena’s to get advice and information from the larger trusts.

A recent executive committee meeting of INTO was held in Bratislava. David Brown Executive Vice President of the Australian National Trust for Historic Preservation reported on the presentations given on the last day as follows.

"For four hours we heard presentations and saw photographs of how preservationists and conservationists (as we are often called in Europe) are making a real difference in people’s lives. From Australia, Simon Molesworth – INTO’s chairman – told how the Australian Council of National Trusts’ 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list was instrumental in stopping a major waterside development in North Bank, Brisbane, that would have effectively severed all connection between a historic community and its residents and the ocean that was their heritage. Indian National Trust Chairman S.K. Misrah was forceful in showing how INTACH was using heritage to provide job training, skills, and livelihoods for some of his country’s most impoverished – and oldest – places. I’ve seen INTACH’s work in person and believe that they have built a powerful program that provides critical support to help people live because they respect and support local traditions and heritage.

There were more presentations that spoke to critical work of National Trusts. The Bermuda Trust under Nicola O’Leary’s leadership was working closely with local government to push consideration of the harmful affects of hotel over-building – before the hotels were built. Simon Murray of the National Trust in the United Kingdom spoke of their pioneering work in combating climate change through good conservation practices at the vast holdings of the Trust, including 1/3 of the coast line in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Support for best practices in land conservation on local agricultural lands in Canada, protection for more than 130 of the most historic and beautiful places in The Netherlands, and work to raise awareness in Ireland were just other examples from a very full afternoon."

After participating in the partnership symposium, I came away convinced that we’re making an important difference in the lives of people from all walks of life all around the globe. And for that all of us – whether we call ourselves preservationists or conservationists – can take a short victory lap before we return to the never-ending work at hand.

David Brown’s résumé give us here in the middle of the South Atlantic a welcome reminder that all national trusts, large and small, are facing the challenges we are facing or expect to have to deal with in the future.  Closer contact with organisations which have more experience of these common situations will be invaluable.

The INTO Secretariat
32 Queen Anne's Gate
London
SW1H 9AB
United Kingdom
www.internationaltrusts.org (under construction)

Related Information