28 Jan Wayne Cranks the Handle

On Wednesday 12 January, FMM Curator Wayne Harley addressed members of Cape Town’s historic Crankhandle Club on museums. With the aim of preserving the country’s national and cultural heritage, he went into the definition of a museum and what the responsibilities are for such an establishment, namely a repository for knowledge and information. “The human mind always has an interest in the past.”

From a motor museum perspective, Wayne covered a number of topics including the responsibility for collecting, conservation, documentation/research (ie maintaining an archive), education and restoration, the latter to be handled sensitively, particularly with regard to a vehicle’s provenance and patina.

FMM promotes all of its activities on a number of social media sites as well as issuing a free monthly on-line newsletter. It recently carried out its first Blind Tour, which was a success, the sightless participants enjoying and appreciating the form of the automobile.

Wayne also briefly mentioned FMM’s compliance of the Government’s rules and regulations regarding the functioning of a museum, essentially being a non-profit permanent institution that is open to the public, providing a service to society.

The implications of being offered and accepting donations was also mentioned, and the talk concluded with a lively Q&A session.