Presenting NFSA Ambassador Margaret Pomeranz

What does being an NFSA Ambassador mean?

I was very flattered to be asked, to be an advocate for this precious institution that keeps our audiovisual history. I am passionate about the importance of archives, and I’ve always done it myself – I’ve never thrown away an interview I’ve done! That’s what the NFSA does; they have the earliest feature film (The Story of the Kelly Gang), and the oldest surviving recorded sound (The Hen Convention). It’s an absolute treasure trove!

Why is it important to preserve and share this collection?

For example, the first ever episode of The Movie Show is in there, somewhere. So many television shows were dumped because of storage limitations, but then there was growing awareness that we had to maintain a record of what was being produced in this country. I don’t know if it’s due to a growing confidence in the value of the content that we produce, but to me, it’s essential to preserve it.

What the NFSA wants is to make more of this material much more available. What’s the use of having an archive if people can’t enjoy it and use it? That’s part of the opportunities of the digital age.

Watch an interview with Margaret on Network Ten’s The Project, on 31 July 2015.

Margaret is the first of a group of high-profile Ambassadors that we will announce over time. We can promise that she’ll be in good company!

NFSA Ambassadors will:

• Attend or speak at NFSA and industry and cultural events;
• Promote the NFSA and our activities;
• Participate in fundraising and sponsorship campaigns for the NFSA.