About Us

Mission:

The Australian Jazz Museum mission is to Proactively Collect, Archive and Disseminate Australian jazz.

We are dedicated to the collection of anything related to Australian jazz, Australians playing jazz elsewhere in the world, and non-Australians playing jazz in Australia.  Our collection includes Australian jazz materials from the 1920s through to the present, covering all jazz eras and all types of jazz.

History:

Founded in 1996 as the Victorian Jazz Archive (VJA), the Australian Jazz Museum (AJM) came about from the strongly voiced desire to preserve Australia’s jazz heritage, and for it to be readily accessible to musicians, collectors, donors and others throughout Australia.

In 2003 VJA was accredited as a Museum by Museums Australia (Victoria).  In 2014 the VJA changed its name to Australian Jazz Museum – to reflect the Museum’s Australia-wide mission, collection and membership.

Patron:

James Morrison AM

Committee of Management:

The Committee of Management and all A.J.M. staff are volunteers. As with all Incorporated Associations based in Victoria, the Committee of Management is sometimes referred to as the Board, Board of Directors, Committee, or Management Committee. The Committee looks after the Australia Jazz Museum’s affairs and has legal duties under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act of 2012.

Committee Members 2023-2024
President: Ian Rutherford
Vice President: Noel McInnes
Secretary / Public Officer: Margot Davies
Treasurer: David McDowell
General Manager: David Canterford
Collections Manager: Mel Blachford
General Committee: Robert Ayres
Helen Burke
Dan Kellett
Lorraine McInnes
Ralph Powell
Terry Norman
Anne Thornton
Hilton Vermaas