On 7th December twenty-five directors, staff, and volunteers
gathered for the first time since 2019 for our Christmas
night out at the Highland Cinema adjacent to the museum
in Cameron Square. It was a very enjoyable evening, with a
delicious, but unconventional festive feast of local produce.
The night out was also an opportunity to bid farewell to our
museum manager, Colleen Barker, who retires this month
after 10 years of service. Colleen has been a much-loved
and respected member of the museum team over the last
decade, overseeing a period of growth and success for the
museum. During her stewardship visitor numbers have
soared from 9,000 to 60,810 visitors a year, and the
museum finances have stabilised thanks to her business
expertise. Colleen is not saying goodbye completely and
still plans to volunteer at the museum, but she is taking a.jpg)
well-earned break. Museum Chair, Ian Peter MacDonald,
presented Colleen with flowers, chocolates, champagne,
and gifts from the staff and volunteers.
As the result of Colleen’s departure as member of staff at the
end of this year, the Board decided a staff restructure would be
appropriate. We are grateful that Colleen plans to continue
working with us as a volunteer. Sonja McLachlan will continue in
her existing role as part-time Volunteer Co-ordinator and Shop
Manager. Curator, Vanessa Martin, has been appointed full-time
Curator Manager and will take on overall responsibility for the
running of the museum while combining this with her existing
curatorial role.
The museum is pleased to welcome Norman Bell to the team
who started as our new part-time Museum Administrator on
15th November 2021. Norman has a strong administration and
accountancy background from his time in the armed forces; he
served with the Army from 1988 to 2010 and then went on to
serve as an accountant in the Civil Service from 2010 to 2014.
He then turned his hand as a civilian to Logistic, Production and
Retail management in Germany, returning to the UK in February
2020 and transferring his skillset to the hospitality industry as a
Deputy General Manager of a busy hotel until joining the team at
the West Highland Museum here in Fort William