Award Winning App

It is not often that you are recognized for the day-to-day work you do. Last month was different as the Fort Street Archives won the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) Mander Jones Award for the second year in a row.

This national award honours Phyllis Mander Jones (1896-1984) who contributed significantly to archives profession in Australia. In 1996 the ASA introduced this award for publications in the field of archives. The award was given to Iain Wallace and Fortian 1961 volunteer, Sandra Funnell, at the recent ASA presentation at the NSW State Library, for archival access contribution with the new virtual Fort Street Tours app.

The Fort Street Tours app was funded by a grant through the Inner West Council Community History and Heritage Grants program, and applied for by the Fort Street Foundation. The free app, found on the Apple App Store and Google Play, creates an easily accessible digital environment to protect, preserve and communicate nationally significant Inner West history and contributes to the national memory.
The judges noted the ease of use of the historical and archival material on the Fort Street Tours app from the three downloadable tours available. One tour is for the historical spaces of the current Petersham site, while another tour is of the many Honour Boards dating back to 1890. The final tour is of the Observatory Hill site – this was achieved due to the work done by one of our volunteers and our partners at the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
The Fort Street Tours app has been downloaded onto over 3000 devices across the world in less than twelve months. Please take a look, either via the Apple Store or Google Play links, at the amazing work done by Iain and Sandra. Congratulations!

Chris Egan – Assistant Archivist