What's this I read in the papers about QAM closing?

It has been decided by the Caloundra City Council and the Queensland Government that Caloundra Airport will be closed when current leases expire in 2014. It is intended that airport tenants will relocate to a replacement airport to be constructed on a remote location which is yet to be determined. Although it is desirable that QAM be located on an operational airport, it is imperative that the Museum be located in a prominent position which is visible and accessible to tourists. For this reason, QAM wishes to remain on its present site after the airport closes. Whilst QAM has received unofficial indications that special provisions will be made for the Museum, there has been no official undertaking. This has led to speculation that QAM might have to close.

Why doesn't the Museum accept that its lease has run out and just move on like other airport businesses will have to do?

QAM was invited to come to Caloundra by the Council of the day. Caloundra had to compete with several other locations which also wanted the Museum. When QAM accepted the Council's invitation to come to Caloundra, the main condition placed on the Museum was that it be run as a business. Despite the fact that QAM is clearly not your average business, this obligation has been fulfilled consistently. The Museum is self-sufficient, but only because it has access to tourism. QAM prides itself on the fact that it does not owe anyone any money. The Museum pays its bills on time and has modest financial reserves. However, these financial reserves will not extend to moving the entire Museum.

Is it possible to move the Queensland Air Museum?

The good people who create museums do so with one fundamental objective in mind - perpetuity. In an imperfect universe, this may be unachievable, but it has to be the goal of every museum. Certainly this is how it was when the Queensland Air Museum was created in 1974, for this objective had formed in the minds of QAM's founders several years earlier when the embryonic organisation had literally nothing - no home and no exhibits. Aircraft Exhibit Number 1, Canberra A84-225, came long before it had a permanent home. Indeed, this aeroplane was moved to no fewer than three temporary sites in the Brisbane area before it had a permanent home. This permanent home was and is Caloundra.

Although there had been offers from three other locations, QAM accepted an invitation from the Council of the day to relocate to Caloundra. In 1986, what was a Brisbane-based organisation, packed up and moved to Caloundra confident in the knowledge that an invitation from the Council of the day was assurance of a permanent home. QAM committed itself totally to Caloundra. Thus, the Canberra and the Museum which was growing up around it, has been moved on four separate occasions, each with an exponentially increasing degree of difficulty. All of these moves were undertaken by the Museum's own volunteer members but the degree of difficulty is now such that the members cannot contemplate a fifth move.

When the Museum relocated to Caloundra, it brought with it three aeroplanes, only one of which was in display condition. Local enthusiasts gravitated to the Museum and all aeroplanes were soon fit for display. Twenty years later, this collection of three aeroplanes has grown to forty.

In any contemplation of moving the Museum, it needs to be understood how these 40 aeroplanes came to be at Caloundra. Certainly none of them flew in and even more certainly, none will fly out. They all had to be dismantled and trucked in, one at a time over a twenty year period! Almost without exception, these aircraft were in a damaged or deteriorated condition when acquired by QAM and therefore it did not matter greatly if there were a few scratches and dents incurred during the process. It was a relatively uncomplicated operation to place a dismantled aircraft on old tyres and lash it to a truck, but it was still a job for experienced specialists.

Any proposal to relocate the Museum needs to recognise that another move will not be so straightforward. There are now 40 aircraft to be moved in a compressed time frame. Almost all of these aircraft have now been painstakingly restored, which means that old tyres are no longer an acceptable form of packing. If these aircraft are to be moved, they will need to be carefully dismantled and placed in custom engineered transport cradles. These cradles currently do not exist. Dismantled sections of aircraft will need to be bubble-wrapped to protect new paint. All of this work will have to be performed by experienced specialists - if they can be found. Whether or not this work will be performed by QAM members is problematic. To a man, they all thought that they were moving each aeroplane for the last time to a permanent home. Remembering that all are volunteers and many are seniors, it is most unlikely that any of them will be willing to undo their years of effort. Any plan to move the Museum will need to be predicated on the use of paid professionals.

If it is decided that the Museum is to be relocated, there has to be a suitable site available. Such a site must:

One important aspect of QAM that must be understood is that the Museum does not belong to any individual or group of individuals. The entire collection is deemed to be held in trust for the entire community. QAM is not your average business intended to make a profit and pay wages. Although it is run very efficiently as a business would be, there are no paid staff and nobody derives any income from it. QAM exists as it is because it was invited to come to Caloundra by the Council of the day. It belongs to the community. Members who may have devoted the greater part of their lives and in some cases a significant part of their income to QAM, will take nothing with them should they ever leave and there will be no bequests to assist surviving families as members pass away. Although they have probably never considered it, all of the members can simply walk away from the Museum if they choose. Should the Museum be wound up, under the terms of the constitution, the entire collection is to be offered to the State Government Queensland Museum in the first instance.

So what would it cost to move the Museum?

Several years ago, it was estimated to be in the region of $5M. With the passage of time and the growth of the collection, this estimate would have to be regarded as conservative. Remember, before anyone can relocate QAM, they will need to build a new museum facility before any relocation of exhibits will be contemplated. QAM cannot afford to relocate and it is doubtful if the ratepayers of Caloundra would be prepared to fund the relocation, nor should they be required to. Any relocation costs should rightly fall to those who stand to profit from the closure of Caloundra Airport. Should it be decided to move the Museum, the safe dismantling and packing of aircraft and other exhibits would demand that the Museum be closed to the public for health and safety reasons. This would deprive the Museum of income for many weeks, possibly months. This situation would then be repeated at the new site.

In addition to the estimated $5M it would cost to relocate the Museum, there is another cost which is already accruing. The ongoing prevarication over the future of the Museum is already having a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of QAM members, many of whom are in their retirement and hoping to leave a lasting contribution to their community. Until such time as there is resolution of the Museum's future, these citizens are being rewarded with the stress of knowing that their years of work might have been in vain.

This ongoing speculation is also restricting the development of the Museum. There is a need for a third hangar but this cannot be contemplated while there is doubt over the Museum's tenure.

Let the QAM flourish where it is.

The above text is extracted from a 20 page document titled Your Air Museum. Love it or Lose it. The complete document can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here.

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