The National Endangered Skills and Trade Show 2023
Demonstrations
Dates: 13th to 15th October
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: Kingston Bus Depot
Seminar
Date: 13th October
Time: 6pm-8pm
Location: National Museum of Australia
Unfortunately we have had to cancel our evening seminar. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Background
The National Endangered Skills and Trades Show is an annual event organised by Endangered Heritage, dedicated to showcasing artisans, makers, and repair experts who possess invaluable traditional knowledge and skills, which are integral to our cultural heritage. However, these vital trades are all confronted by a common challenge – the inability to take on apprentices. Without intervention, this situation could ultimately seal the fate of these trades. NESTS strives to provide these practitioners a platform to promote their knowledge and craft, inspiring a new generation of blacksmiths, weavers, horologists, and more.
NESTS 2023 will include demonstrations of these traditional trades. Traders from all over Australia will showcase their skills and crafts at the demonstrations on the 13th to the 15th of October at the Kingston Bus Depot. As part of the event there will be also be a seminar which will feature a panel of speakers who will delve into the consequences our nation faces due to the vanishing of rare trades. These discussions will explore the implications of trade independence, supply chain vulnerabilities, and other issues related to the disappearance of these valuable skills. The Seminar will be conducted in the National Museum of Australia on the 13th of October and will be live-streamed for those who are unable to make it in person.
Demonstrations 2023
Dates: 13th to 15th October
Time: 9am-4pm
Location: Kingston Bus Depot
Demonstrations will be running from the 13th to the 15th of October at the Kingston Bus Depot.
There will be demonstrations to watch, opportunities to talk with the artisans about their trade, as well as the chance to browse the wares brought by the artists.
Entry price for this event will be one gold coin donation.
Please note that while attendance for demonstrations will not require registration, due to the large numbers expected in the event, SCHOOL GROUPS WILL HAVE TO BOOK.
If interested, please call 02 6280 6280.
Seminar 2023
Date: 13th October
Time: 6pm-8pm
Location: National Museum of Australia
Unfortunately we have had to cancel our in person evening seminar. Instead, we will be providing our seminar as a podcast in the near future so please look out for updates, and we will also be on 2XX radio Friday 13th at 9am.
On the night of the 13th, speakers from various backgrounds will gather with members of these trades and a conservator, to discuss the theme of “The Cost of Losing Knowledge”.
The seminar will be live streamed for those unable to make it in person. Registrations for both livestream and in-person tickets will be through Endangered Heritage.
SIGN OUR PETITION: Endangered Trades and Skills
Across this country, hundreds of small business operators are unable to engage apprentices, despite being classified as essential and featuring on immigration needs lists.
These trades play an essential role in our economy, and include professions such as coopers, farriers, saddlers, stone masons, memorial makers, analog sound engineers, scientific glass blowers, horologists, sewing machine repairers, trackers, and weavers. Without these traders we cannot repair, reuse, and remake, which poses huge environmental concerns.
These tradespeople are also crucial for the preservation and maintenance of our heritage assets, which significantly contribute to our 1.6-billion-dollar tourism industry. Presently, only trades recognized by the apprenticeship board are permitted to take on apprentices, thereby excluding many businesses from participation. This exclusion not only deprives numerous young people of employment opportunities and mentorship but also hinders our path to self-reliance.
We need to allow these trades to train. The time has come for the Minister for Employment and the Minister for Education to meet and explore strategies for the preservation of these trades. As time marches on, the opportunity to capture the invaluable knowledge and skills of these aging tradespeople is rapidly diminishing.
Jute Upholstery
Gizmo Mechanical Archaeology
Art By Degrees
Watch and Clockmakers of Australia
Mother Mountain Forge
Venue
Location: Kingston Old Bus Depot Markets
21 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, ACT, 2604
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in sponsoring or participating in this event. We hope to see you there!
Hosted By
2023 Speakers at the National Endangered Skills and Trade Show Seminar
Acknowledgements
In organising this event, we wish to acknowledge the First Nations people. For over 60,000 years, the Indigenous community cared for country with land management techniques that worked with the environment. Using traditional techniques and knowledge cultivated throughout generations, they created a system that was both sustainable and supplied them with the resources they needed. There is a lot for us to learn from them in terms of traditional trades that promote environmental sustainability.
Many indigenous people have been lamenting the loss of their traditional knowledge and trades for over a century. Indigenous skills and trades such as tracking, land management with fire, weaving, and more have been grievously unrecognised and as Australians, we all have a responsibility to protect and preserve this heritage knowledge. This is why we sincerely hope that NESTS will be able to serve as a platform to showcase traders working with both indigenous as well as non-indigenous skills and trades.