SAAM Donations

South Australian

Aviation Museum

New entrance 16 Bedford Street, Port Adelaide

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Donations

Our focus is to collect, record and display the history of civil and military aviation in South Australia. This would not be possible without the generous support provided by the people of South Australia who have helped us with donations ranging from complete aircraft, aircraft parts, books, collectables and memorabilia. Of course, SAAM is also very pleased to receive financial support. If you are in a position to help us, there are several ways in which you can - please see below.

Historical Artifacts & Memorabilia

SAAM is always accepting genuine historical aviation artifacts and memorabilia. If the item has significant historical value, and it adds to our displays, it is likely to be placed on display immediately, otherwise it will be archived for inclusion in future displays and/or preservation. A recent example which went directly on display was the donation of a framed flag from 1919 with the signatures of Ross and Keith Smith on it. It has been placed into our Smith Brothers display along with the other (genuine) 1919 first flight memorabilia generously donated by the Smith Family. Another example is a rare WW1 observer's drop bag and notepad which has been placed into our WW1 display. Yet another was a rare Mk.2 Spitfire gunsight (pictured) into our WW2 display and also a very rare Mitsubishi Zero gunsight into our WW2 in the pacific display.

Please Note: Donations are subject to our Collections Policy. Broadly, the policy requires the donor to own the donated item free of encumbrances and, particularly for a significant artifact, for it to have clearly established provenance. If you are considering such a donation, we recommend that you drop by the Museum or contact us at 8240 1230 or enquiries@saam.org.au to discuss it with us.

Books, Videos, Models, Periodicals & Uniforms

SAAM has many instances of these more common items (and the like) being donated. Like all museums and libraries, we have to limit the amount of these items we can keep in storage. We will assess the item for condition and/or historic value, and its relevance to our collection. If we have similar items in our collection, we will compare them with the donated item and will keep the item(s) of superior quality and deaccession the unneeded item(s). Deaccessioned items are often placed on our trading table or in our shop for sale. In this way, SAAM can benefit from the sale of the item and the donor can rest easy that the item has gone to another enthusiast.

Cash Donations

SAAM is largely dependent on visitor revenue for the Museum's operating and development costs with only limited opportunities for government grant funding. We have a collection box located in Hangar 1 for cash donations, but the Museum is an endorsed deductible gift recipient, so if you want to receive a tax-deductible receipt for your donation, please either donate at the reception desk or by post to PO Box 150 PORT ADELAIDE SA 5015. Given that SAAM is run entirely by volunteer members, you can rest assured that cash donations will be put toward improving the collection and/or displays.

The SAAM Foundation

In order to make provision for the Museum's longer-term needs, particularly but not limited to capital and infrastructure requirements, we have set up the South Australian Aviation Museum Foundation to accept tax deductible donations as well. Donating to the Foundation rather than directly to the Museum results in your donation being prudently invested, overseen by an experienced board of directors, in growth funds to ensure the Museum can maintain its long-term viability. You can learn more about the Foundation's structure, mission, vision and goals, and how to donate, on the SAAM Foundation website (click here).