Recipients of 1995 Heritage Council Award announced

10/3/95

The outstanding work of two people dedicated to the conservation of Western Australia's heritage has been recognised.

Heritage Minister Richard Lewis has announced the recipients of the 1995 Heritage Council of Western Australia Award, which acknowledges the significant efforts made by individuals or organisations to conserve WA's heritage.

Mr Lewis said recognition of the value of heritage conservation was growing.

"It has been assisted by Government, but there has also been real support from people in the community," he said.

The Minister said the two recipients were regarded as pioneers of heritage preservation in WA but had worked in separate fields.

"Architect and town planning consultant Margaret Feilman received the 1995 Heritage Award and a posthumous award recognised the valuable contribution of the late Denis Cumming, who worked to preserve Australia's engineering and industrial heritage," Mr Lewis said.

"Margaret Feilman was the first female architect cadet in WA's Public Works Department and once qualified, introduced the first environmental planning controls in local government town planning schemes.

"She was the driving force behind the formation of the National Trust of Australia in WA and served as one of the original commissioners appointed to the Australian Heritage Commission."

The Minister said Ms Feilman had an ability to look at the broad issues and to her credit many of the ideas she put forward in the 1950s and '60s had been successfully implemented.

"The late Denis Cumming, an engineer and former Adelaide University lecturer, also played a big role in heritage preservation as chairman of  the first engineering heritage group in Australia," Mr Lewis said.

In the late '70s, Mr Cumming was responsible for the establishment of a national panel for engineering heritage.

In 1991 Mr Cumming retired and moved to WA, where he served as secretary of  the State's engineering heritage panel for the past two years.

The Minister said the passing of Denis Cumming two months ago was a great loss to heritage conservation.   However, the growing recognition of Australia's industrial heritage would be his memorial.

The Heritage Council of WA initiated the annual award four years ago and previous winners include:

1992: Margaret Wilson, for research and documentation regarding social history of WA.

1993: Dr Avril O'Brien, for setting up the Heritage Trails Network in WA, an Australian first.

1994:  The Fremantle Society, for more than 20 years of work towards the conservation of the heritage of the port city.

Media contact: Bronwyn Hillman 222 9595, 221 1377