Organ Historical Trust of Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Australia
| Founded | May 1977 |
|---|---|
| Type | National peak body for pipe organ preservation and conservation |
| Location |
|
Region served | Australia, New Zealand |
Key people | Steve Kaesler OAM (Chairman)[1] |
| Website | www |
The Organ Historical Trust of Australia (OHTA) is a national organisation which works towards:
- the protection, conservation and restoration of pipe organs in Australia,
- the preservation of records pertaining to their history, the promotion of organ repertoire and organ playing to the general public, and
- the encouragement of scholarly research into the history and use of pipe organs and their repertoire.[2][3]
OHTA's establishment in 1977 took place in response to a period following World War II when several significant organs in Australia were either destroyed completely (for example, the Grand Organ erected in 1880 by George Fincham[4][5] and Son[6] in the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, Victoria[7]}, significantly altered (for example, the organs of St. Andrew's Anglican Cathedral, Sydney, New South Wales,[8] St. John's Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane, Queensland,[9] the 1926 J. E. Dodd[10] organ of St. Francis Xavier's Catholic Cathedral, Adelaide, South Australia[11] and the Pilgrim Uniting (originally Congregational) Church[12] organ,[13] also in Adelaide), or left temporarily or permanently disused while being replaced with electronic or digital organs (for example, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Newtown, New South Wales,[14] and St. Mary's Anglican Church, Kangaroo Point, a suburb of Brisbane.[15])
On 13 May 1977, a public meeting was held in the Chapter House of St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne, and OHTA was formed. At the time, the organisation was conceived as a means for extending the work of the National Trust of Australia. In 1978, OHTA was incorporated under the Victorian Companies Act 1961, directed by a Council made up of representatives from each State of Australia,[16] and offering membership to all members of the general public.[17]
Legal status
OHTA is registered with the Australian Government as a Registered Charity recognizing its status as a not-for-profit cultural organization, category: Advancing culture.[18]
