The Langley Diving Collection: Heritage of Helmets, a stunning exhibition of historical helmets and other dive equipment donated to Queensland Museum opens today at the Museum of Tropical Queensland.
The collection, built up over a 30-year period by former abalone diver Greg Langley of Hobart, was donated to Queensland Museum in November 2007 through the Commonwealth's Cultural Gifts Program, with further objects donated in June 2008.
The collection includes helmets manufactured around the world that were used for pearling, salvage, wartime operations and marine science. Other dive equipment donated as part of the collection includes early examples of modern commercial diving suits, lead boots, diver's knives, torches, a diving communications box, and an air pump.
Museum of Tropical Queensland Director Peter McLeod said the exhibition will give visitors an insight into early diving technology.
"The Langley Diving Collection ensures continued appreciation for the pioneers whose work enables us to explore and work undersea today," Mr McLeod said.
Exhibition curator Ed Slaughter said the impressive collection was evocative of the mysteries and dangers of early underwater exploration.
"The collection includes rare helmets in excellent condition and even a unique experimental prototype," Mr Slaughter said.
"The earliest helmet manufactured in England and used for pearling, dates back to the 1880's. The collection also includes two helmets manufactured in Australia, one a homemade shallow water helmet used in the 1930's to study marine life of the Great Barrier Reef and the other manufactured in 1945 for pearl shelling."
"Many of the helmets exhibit a high level of technical skill and design such as the extremely rare Siebe Gorman helmet made from non-magnetic material and used by Allied divers to deactivate sea mines during and after World War Two."
The Langley Diving Collection: Heritage of Helmets will be on display through April 2009. -- www.qm.qld.gov.au
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