Australian historian and curator
Ian Stephenson (1 December 1955 – 24 October 2024) was an Australian curator who has been president of The Glebe Society in Sydney.[1] He was on the board of the National Trust of Australia (NSW) from 2010 until 2022 and was chair of the properties committee from 2014 until 2022.[2] Stephenson was a trustee of the Copland Foundation[3] and an area of special interest and knowledge was Anglo Indian architecture.[4]
Early life
Stephenson was born in Sydney and attended Newington College (1965–1972) as a day student commencing in the preparatory school Wyvern House.[5] In 1973 he became a boarding student at Scots All Saints' College completing his HSC in 1974. He then studied at the University of Tasmania and the University of Sydney.
Curatorial career
In 1988 Stephenson became the inaugural curator of the colonial Georgian-era house museum Collingwood and the adjoining Bicentennial Museum at Liverpool. From 1990 he worked at the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and spent seven years as the senior curator. In 2001 he was appointed the Director of Historic Places, ACT, in Canberra[6] and from 2006 was the CEO of the National Trust in South Australia. From 2009 until 2020 he was the curator of collections at the University of New England.[7][8] In 2018 Stephenson curated a major exhibition at Old Government House, Parramatta, entitled "From Bombay to Parramatta, discover the rich history between India and NSW, from the time of Governor Macquarie to today’s vibrant cultural life of Western Sydney and beyond".[9]
Death
Following travel in South America in 2024 Stephenson was found dead in his home in Glebe on his return to Sydney.[10]A Requiem Mass will be held on 21 November 2024 at Christ Church St Laurence, Sydney. In lieu of flowers mourners are asked to make donations to the Christ Church St Laurence restoration appeal or the National Trust of Australia.[11]
References
