Many maritime archaeology projects would not be possible without the involvement of volunteers. There are numerous ways that members of the public can get involved in this project.
Project partners, particularly government agencies, often rely on volunteers from maritime archaeology associations to assist with fieldwork. Groups such as the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA) and the Maritime Archaeology Association of Victoria have members who regularly contribute to local, national and international projects, or who research and run their own projects. Many of the volunteers and researchers on this project are members of one of these organisations.
Students studying archaeology or related subjects at universities around Australia and abroad, or graduates of the Nautical Archaeology Society‘s maritime archaeology training program (through AIMA or NAS) are also welcome additions to the project. The project already has students from Flinders University, La Trobe University, the University of Sydney, the University of Western Australia, Syracuse University (USA) and the University of Otago (NZ) volunteering in order to gain more experience in maritime archaeology.
There are some spaces for fieldwork volunteers, there may be opportunities to become involved in post-excavation data processing and analysis, and a series of lectures and seminars will be presented throughout 2012 and 2013 in Victoria and other states of Australia. If you would like to find out more about volunteering, or think you may have a special skill you could offer for the project, contact the project manager Cassandra Philippou for further information.