The Donald Thomson Collection represents a unique cultural resource, which is of national and international distinction. It's greatest significance resides in its importance to communities of origin and their descendant families. It's considered one of the largest and most historically significant collections of Aboriginal cultural heritage.
The Collection, comprising material from over ninety communities of origin, reflects the social and cultural life of Aboriginal people from Cape York, Arnhem Land, and the Central and Gibson Deserts and includes material from Papua, Solomon Islands and West Papua sourced during Thomson’s World War II service there. Amassed by Thomson while undertaking anthropological research and field collecting in botany, herpetology, mammalogy and ornithology, the collection holds deep cultural knowledge and richness for diverse audiences, but most especially for Aboriginal people.
Work to consolidate the Indigenous collections is currently underway. This includes the much-anticipated recall of the Donald Thomson Collection from Museum Victoria. This means that access is limited to current projects until the collections are suitably situated. Watch this space!