Context 156 - September 2018

C O N T E X T 1 5 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 51 New member profile Ian Tan I came to know the IHBC in 2011 when I was pursuing my MSc in architectural conservation at the Edinburgh College of Art and the personal development diploma in building conservation at West Dean College in Sussex. Joining as an affiliate member provided online access to a wealth of information and knowledge on built heritage through the IHBC’s online portal. The IHBC email blasts and blog helped me keep abreast of the latest conservation happenings in the UK. These online channels are important to my continuous professional development, as I returned to Singapore in 2012 after my studies to pursue a career in cultural heritage. I spent five memorable years with the National Heritage Board (NHB), Singapore’s equivalent to Historic England or Historic Environment Scotland. Similar to the UK’s heritage bodies, the NHB was concerned with all aspects of the historic environment. I had the opportunity to participate in a wide range of work, from advising monument owners on repairing their historic buildings to drafting policies for protecting built heritage in the city-state. As Singapore was a former British colony, it had conserved a number of neoclassical civic buildings and clusters of tropical colonial bungalows for expatriate civil servants and military servicemen. Whenever I worked on these buildings, the conservation knowledge from my UK studies and information gleaned from IHBC’s website and Context became very helpful. Even when conserving vernacular buildings of local ethnic communities, I would often cite conservation or interpretation best practices from the UK. As I worked on diverse projects involving archaeology and site interpretation, I took a long- distance MA in museum studies with the University of Leicester. That experience enriched my understanding of the historic environment and provided me with new insights on how to work closely with different planning agencies and community stakeholders to preserve, enhance and transmit a community’s tangible and intangible heritage. This, of course, is a belief shared by many heritage practitioners, some of whom I had the privilege to learn from in the UK. All of them remain treasured mentors. Just to name a few, Miles Glendenning and Dimitris Theodossopoulos, for providing a solid foundation in conservation theories at Edinburgh College of Art; David Odgers and Graham Abrey for inspiring hands-on lessons at West Dean College; Elizabeth Jamieson and Andrew Moore for introducing the world of country houses during the Attingham Summer School, and Susan Miller for bringing me into the fold of ICOMOS’s international specialised committee on cultural tourism. The highlight of my conservation journey to date was having the opportunity to meet Jukka Jokilehto, author of A History of Architectural Conservation , during the IHBC annual school in 2014. As one of the recipients of the Gus Astley Awards that year, I was invited to attend the three-day event. Although the number of overseas branch members remains small, I keep a lookout for the list of new members in every issue of Context , particularly those with the suffix OV behind their names. It is heartening to spot new branch members occasionally. As the IHBC works towards formulating an international strategy, its track record in providing quality learning and training support for historic environment and conservation specialists will be an attractive proposition for heritage practitioners around the world to be accredited. Ian Tan is a new full member of the IHBC.