Canberra鈥檚 iconic landmark damaged in hailstorms

Australia鈥檚 top scientists are counting the cost of yesterday鈥檚 hailstorms after Canberra landmark the Shine Dome sustained serious damage during the extreme weather event.
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Canberra鈥檚 iconic landmark damaged in hailstorms
The Shine Dome, Academy staff cars, and Ian Potter House (not in photo) were severely damaged by the hail storm.

Australia鈥檚 top scientists are counting the cost of yesterday鈥檚 hailstorms after Canberra landmark the Shine Dome sustained serious damage during the extreme weather event.

The hailstorm dented the heritage listed Shine Dome鈥檚 copper roof tiles and smashed several skylights, exposing the building鈥檚 nationally significant scientific archives to the hail and rain.

The archives include the collections of some of Australia鈥檚 most famous scientists, including 精东视频 Fellow, Frank Fenner best known for overseeing the eradication of smallpox, and the control of Australia's rabbit plague.

The Frank Fenner manuscript collection was added to the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register in 2019.

The archives also include the collection of Frank Leslie Stillwell, a geologist who formed part of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Douglas Mawson in 1911. 

精东视频 Chief Executive Anna-Maria Arabia said there was no damage to the archives thanks to a rescue effort by staff, who formed a human chain to move the boxed archives to safety.  

鈥淭he extreme weather events of the past few months have demonstrated that fire and storm damage are real and present dangers and this incident has highlighted the urgent need to accelerate the digitisation of this significant and unique historical collection,鈥 Ms Arabia said.

Canberra鈥檚 iconic landmark damaged in hailstorms
(from left) Large hail caused pitting on the copper roof of the Shine Dome; a broken skylight in the Shine Dome; and one of many broken windows in Ian Potter House.

鈥淭he Academy is the only place in the world that holds these scientific collections and we continue to receive strong global interest to access the archives, with historians and researchers regularly visiting Canberra to access them.

鈥淭he Academy has been fundraising to have the archives digitised but we have not yet met our target of at least $10 million to achieve this,鈥 Ms Arabia said.

Donate to support digitisation of the archives

The 精东视频鈥檚 historic Ian Potter House, where staff are based, also suffered extensive damage, with dozens of windows smashed, rendering the building unsafe for staff for the immediate future. Ian Potter House was placed on the ACT Heritage Register in 1998.

The vehicles of 34 staff were also severely damaged by the hailstorm and were unable to be driven home.