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The essential charter of Silent World Foundation constitutes accomplishments in marine archaeology, exploration of Australian shipwrecks and research and participation in maritime history
The Silentworld Foundation was founded with the purpose of supporting maritime archaeology in Australia, especially relative to pre-colonial and early colonial history.
Australia has an extremely rich maritime history and yet despite the tremendous efforts over the years of many institutions throughout Australia, we still know surprisingly little about the wrecking of many historically important vessels known to have been lost in or near Australian waters. There also remains a great deal to be discovered about early seafarers’ contacts with Australia, from Macassar traders and the explorers from Spain, The Netherlands, Britain, France and other nations, through to eventual colonisation with the arrival of the first fleet in 1788. The reefs and shoals that surround our coastline are literally dotted with wrecks, more than some 6,000 by some counts, and yet only a small percentage of these have ever been found, identified, researched, and properly documented.
Funding for institutional research and especially field work is always limited and the subject so extensive that there is inevitably a constraint to the work that museums and universities can undertake. The Silentworld Foundation attempts to support the efforts of institutions, companies and individuals seeking to know more about our maritime past, through providing financial and physical support to projects and general research. In particular, the Foundation targets its support activities towards field work and the active search for, and identification of, shipwrecks of particular historical interest to Australia.
The Foundation’s interest is purely historical and academic with a view to furthering our nation’s knowledge of its maritime past. The Foundation does not participate in or support shipwreck hunting for financial gain and its objectives are purely philanthropic.
The Foundation works primarily through and with respected public institutions such as the National Maritime Museum of Australia and The University of Sydney for major projects, although many smaller initiatives are undertaken alone or with other partners.
From these early beginnings the Foundation’s objectives have expanded to include humanitarian and philanthropic assistance to remote communities, especially in the Pacific Islands. As the Foundation carries out research and exploration activities in very remote areas so we try to help the local communities with which we come into contact. This assistance can include medical help, the provision of educational material, radios ad communication equipment, training and other benefits.
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