Heather Bleechmore

Heather has worked at the Australian Museum for over 17 years as an Objects Conservator and Integrated Pest Management Coordinator. Heather has over 12 years’ experience in IPM, responsible for essential routine pest inspections, pest treatment and monitoring of all galleries, collection stores and off-site collection storage facilities (totalling 72 areas). Heather has gained expert knowledge in low oxygen (anoxic) and freezing treatments for both Natural Science and Cultural collections, with a treatment highlight in 2010 of a 15 metre long Tomako canoe from the Solomon Islands after the discovery of dry wood termites.

Heather has many years’ experience coordinating the priority treatment programs for the Cultural Collections with a longstanding involvement with the First Nations collections. Across all Cultural Collections, Heather has run programs involving implementing risk minimisation strategies via whole collection surveys, designing cost effective, sustainable storage solutions, and carrying out complex conservation treatments. Heather has been Lead Conservator on several major exhibitions at the Australian Museum and most recently has been Conservation Team Leader in collection relocation programs for the entire Pacific collection and sections of the First Nations Collections. Heather has conducted materials research into ancient artefacts, including an Egyptian wooden boat model and an Egyptian mummy including radio carbon dating, wood and pigment sample analysis. Heather has presented papers internationally on aspects of IPM, and at National and local seminars.

• Bachelor of Applied science (conservation of Cultural Materials)
• Advanced Diploma in Visual Art

• Project Champion- Australian Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy, 2016
• Chairperson . OHS Committee, Australian Museum, Sydney, 2006

• Lord Howe Island diorama conservation project diorama (2012)- Funded by Australian Museum Foundation.
• Egyptian mummy conservation project (2006)-part funding by IBM.

To bag or not to bag? Treatment of a large Solomon Islands war canoe and the growing threat of dry wood termites to collections in Australia. Macgregor, C., Mackay, H., Roach, A. Proceedings of 2011: A Pest Odyssey 2011, 10 Years Later. English Heritage 2011.