PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE As the Whitlam Institute, the building has been adapted for contemporary use, while also maintaining its heritage. “The whole intention is that you let the building tell its story,” says Eric. “Differentpartsofthebuildingwilltakeyoutodifferentperiodsofitshistory.” The Whitlam Institute has four responsibilities: care for the building, custodian of Gough Whitlam’s Prime Ministerial collection, delivery of education programs for school students, and as a public policy think tank. The design of the restoration provides space for that to happen. It has offices for the Whitlam Institute, an art gallery, spaces for public functions and educational activities, and there is a permanent Gough Whitlam exhibition. “We are responsible for two critical parts of the National Estate – the collection and the building itself. That is fundamental to the broader policy work that we do in the areas of education, employment, foreign policy and democracy.” “Our intent in restoring the building was explicitly for it to become a public building that would in turn become a cultural and intellectual hub with public access for many types of activities.” “And part of our mission is to make sure that it is accessible,” says Eric. That includes digitising the Whitlam Collection and opening up the building for visitors. Last year, 1,300 primary school kids from the Liverpool area visited the Institute, and there were a few hundred more in 2017. For more than 200 years, the Female Orphan School has been educating people, and that continues today through its role at the Whitlam Institute. Our intent in restoring the building was explicitly for it to become a public building that would in turn become a cultural and intellectual hub with public access for many types of activities CULTURE 25