Meet our Trustees

FELICITY IRWIN DL, CHAIR

Felicity has many years experience within the community; in education as a Governor of Dumpton, Poole Grammar School and Bournemouth University, in media and the arts as Regional Executive of TVS (Television South), in commerce as Chairman of The Wessex Institute of Directors, in heritage as a Founding Director and fundraiser for The Vulcan to the Sky Restoration, in community as a JP and fundraiser and Chairman of a number of charities in Dorset most recently retiring after 20 years as Chairman of Care South and has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset for 25 years. She believes that the preservation of the heritage of Poole and sharing it with its community is vital.  

PETER DOBSON

"I was born in Bournemouth and have lived in this area all my life. After prep school at Hailey and boarding school in Somerset I was accepted by Hamble, jointly owned by BEA and BOAC, for training as a pilot. Remember those airlines! After thirty-five years service, initially with BOAC and latterly British Airways, I retired as a  747-400 ‘Jumbo Jet’ Captain in 2001.

I have always taken a keen interest in the history of the local area. My interest in the museum was reignited when attending the unveiling of a Blue Plaque commemorating the founding of BOAC on 1st April 1940. The present museum was the original BOAC Operational Headquarters. 

I continue to take a keen interest in local events and if the National Lottery Heritage Funded project  comes to fruition a bright future beckons for our museum."

PROFESSOR TIMOTHY DARVILL OBE

Tim is a Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bournemouth University. His research interests focus on the Neolithic and early Bronze Age periods in northwest Europe, and on managing cultural heritage. He has excavated sites in Germany, Russia, Malta, the Isle of Man, Wales, and England, and in 2008 directed excavations inside Stonehenge. Author of many books and papers, Tim is currently chairman of the board of trustees of Cotswold Archaeology and chairs the Poole Harbour Heritage Project.
In June 2021, Professor Tim Darvill OBE was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen to serve as a member of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW).

PETER BURT

“I have been interested in history since I was a small boy and enjoyed watching and talking to Sir Mortimer Wheeler when he was digging at Corfe Castle in the 1950s.
I have been involved in the world of boats since before I can remember. I’ve logged over 42,000 miles under sail and power, mostly cruising in the English Channel, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and East Coast of the USA.
I have been involved in the local community of Poole since I was 19. I bought and ran Arthur Bray Ltd, for over 40 years, built and ran the Aquarium on Poole Quay in the late 1970s. I was Commodore of the Royal Motor Yacht Club 1995-97, created the Poole Harbour Watch, (a neighbourhood watch afloat), with the help of the marine police, in 1996, and I served as a Poole Lifeboat shore crewman for 14 years and Chairman for 3 years. I became a Poole Harbour Commissioner for 12 years in 1998. I was Chairman of Poole Maritime Trust from 2012 until 2017 and am currently a Vice President of the Trust. I am now able to give more time to History, its presentation to the public and its long-term preservation. “History begins yesterday”.

DR. JOANNA KENNEDY OBE FREng

Joanna is a civil engineer and project manager who has advised clients on and led the successful delivery of numerous major construction projects. She was a director and the global leader for programme and project management with Arup, where her projects included the Horniman Museum, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, the Francis Crick Institute and the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre 

Joanna is deputy chair of Trustees at the National Portrait Gallery, London and chairs the project board for the gallery’s current £35.5m Inspiring People redevelopment, due to open in 2023. 

She is a non-executive director of Native Land Ltd and of the ERA Foundation. Her previous appointments have included trustee of the Science Museum, deputy chair of the Port of London Authority, council member at the University of Southampton and chair of Buildings and Estates at the Royal College of Art. Joanna and her husband Richard have lived in Poole for the last 15 years. 

PROFESSOR PAUL GOUGH

Paul is Vice-Chancellor at Arts University Bournemouth, UK.
A painter, broadcaster and author he has exhibited internationally and is represented in the permanent collection of the Imperial War Museum, London, the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, and the National War Memorial, New Zealand. Along with leading roles in international higher education and global research assessment, his research into the representation war and peace has been presented to audiences throughout the world. He has published nine books, including monographs on the British painter Stanley Spencer, Paul and John Nash and several comprehensive studies of art from both world wars. He worked in television for ten years and is currently writing his second book about the street artist, Banksy.