The opening of this Heritage Conservation Centre is another significant step in the efforts of Singaporeans to conserve and enhance our national heritage. Over the past decade, we have seen major improvements and additions to our museums, galleries, historical buildings and conservation areas. Buildings of historical and architectural merit have been given new leases of life to provide Singaporeans and visitors with a sense of place and history and to add to the appreciation of our arts, culture and heritage. Just as important as the physical form and appearance of these buildings are the collections, exhibits and activities they contain which give them meaning and purpose.

As our museums expand their collections, it has become necessary to have a purpose-built facility to store, manage and conserve the many valuable items. Built at a cost of $22.5 million, this Heritage Conservation Centre is not merely a repository for our rapidly expanding collections, but also provides an important conservation service to preserve the items for posterity. The Centre manages some 90,000 artefacts which include sculptures, paintings, jewellery, porcelain and stamps.

Some of these collections would not have been possible without the generous donations of institutions and individuals. As custodians, the Centre has to exercise the highest standards of care. This is apparent both in terms of the physical facilities which include 15 specially-designed storage rooms and four high-tech research laboratories, as well as the expertise of 12 fully-trained conservators. They are involved in a wide range of restoration and preservation work covering painting, paper artefacts, and a wide range of objects from textiles to metals to mixed media.

Our national heritage collection is still very young and there is much scope for further additions and acquisitions. The task is not confined to conserving the existing collection but continually developing a collection that is representative of our heritage. The Centre plays a pivotal role in giving future donors the confidence that their gifts of prized art works and artefacts will be safeguarded for the enjoyment and appreciation of many generations to come.

To encourage more donors and lenders to help us with our collection, the Government has since 1993 introduced special tax incentives such as double and single tax deduction benefits for donors. For double-taxation benefits, a sponsor has to donate an artefact worth S$1million and above. He can claim double that amount as tax relief. If any donated artefact is worth less than S$1 million, the donor can claim single tax deduction. All cash donations can claim single tax deduction. A bonus to this scheme is that donors of artefacts worth S$0.75 million and above can qualify for permanent residence in Singapore. We also allow sponsors and donors of artefacts or cash worth S$1 million and above naming rights to gallery spaces in any of our museums.

The more important issue is not whether collections belong to the state or remain in private ownership, but that both should work together to bring this heritage to a wider audience. The high standards set for museum management and display would help to bring international collections to Singapore and contribute to our efforts to become a centre for culture and heritage.

The government recognises the importance of heritage and shared historical memory in inculcating a sense of rootedness among Singaporeans. Collections of strong artistic merit and historical significance give voice to the Singapore story. To realise their full value, the Heritage Conservation Centre is not simply a silent technician, but an educator. It has already started disseminating knowledge to the public via the National Heritage Board website. Starting next year, seminars and guided tours will be conducted. This will give the public, including schools and special groups, the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what happens to artefacts before and after museum exhibitions. They will also view artefacts too fragile to move out from their climatically-controlled environments. More intensive educational involvement is also in the pipeline, with the Centre currently in discussion with tertiary institutions to engage students in research projects with Centre staff.

Looking ahead, the Centre aspires to develop itself into a regional centre for conservation training in the care and management of moveable heritage materials. It will seek partnership and collaboration with similar institutions in ASEAN, Japan and Australia.

The Centre will play a significant role to support and complement the National Heritage Board’s continual efforts in building and preserving a reputable collection which is as complete as possible in telling the Singapore Story; not only about our post-war history but also about our ancestral cultures and through that a better appreciation of our multi-cultural society. This will be fuelled by rising standards in our professional expertise, not only in curatorial areas but also in its conservation and collection care, its dissemination and educational programmes. All this is in service to our aim to educate our young and old on the importance of understanding, appreciating and preserving our heritage.

Whilst the Centre’s collection is relatively young, it is one that Singaporeans can be proud of. It provides intellectual and emotional links to our history and culture. Items of exceptional historical value include the 14^th century gold ornaments excavated from Fort Canning Hill, a daguerrotype of the Singapore River dating back to 1844 and the more recent new constitution issue stamp sheets.

As the museums’ collections belong collectively to all Singaporeans, I would encourage the National Heritage Board to have more dialogue with, and feedback from, Singaporeans on what they would like to see in our museums. As caretakers of the nation’s heritage, our museums should try and attract all Singaporeans to appreciate them and contribute to their collections wherever possible.

Finally I would like to thank all those who have been involved one way or another in the establishment and smooth functioning of this state-of-the-art collection and conservation centre, the first in Southeast Asia. It is now my pleasure to declare the Heritage Conservation Centre open.

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