Functioning

The Old Harbour Museum was officially proclaimed a museum in 1972. It is a province-aided museum. In 1983 the Board of Trustees bought the Fishermen’s Village. One member of staff is employed by the department. Eight other staff members are fulltime and five part time employees of the Board of Trustees of the Old Harbour Museum. A few volunteers from the community also provide their services free of charge to the museum.

The Friends of the Old Harbour Museum was formed to generate and administer extra funds to benefit the museum. Without these extra funds the museum would not have being able to achieve what it has to date. The Friends are steered by a Committee to regulate these funds and assist with the projects they support. The support of this committee has always been very generous as they thrive to assist the museum where possible, especially financially.

The Old Harbour Museum tries to deliver quality service to the Greater Hermanus communities, visitors, national and international tourists. The support of the local communities have been excellent as proven with the response received from all communities when doing fundraising for the building of the Whale Museum as well as the most of the local schools that visit regularly. The museum venues are used for many varied activities from cultural or environmental to educational or social. eg. The ‘Passiespele’ that is becoming nationally known, The Whale Festival, Radio Pulpit and Carols by Candlelight.