Statement of Bronius 'Bob' Sredersas

Wollongong City Council continues to work with key stakeholders from the Sydney Jewish Museum and the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies on next steps for Wollongong Art Gallery and its collections following confirmation that deceased benefactor, Bob Sredersas, who gifted the city 141 artworks, was classified a Nazi collaborator.

Sredersas migrated to Australia from Lithuania in 1950 and died in Wollongong in 1982.

Following receipt of a comprehensive report on Sredersas’ past, we have removed the naming plaque within the Gallery acknowledging him. Printed materials referencing Bob Sredersas and his gift are no longer publicly available within the Art Gallery.

We will keep the artworks and may use them in future exhibitions as they are an important part of the collection and provide an opportunity to help tell the story of Sredersas’s role in the Holocaust.

We are committed to supporting educational opportunities and worked with the Sydney Jewish Museum to present a public lecture on 30 March 2023 by Sydney Jewish Museum’s Resident Historian Emeritus Professor Konrad Kwiet who wrote the comprehensive report into Sredersas.

Read more in Council’s media release.

We also partnered with Courage to Care NSW to hold an exhibition and educational program, 'Courage to Care', in 2023. This program looked at the impacts of the Holocaust and inspired people to make a positive difference when confronted with incidents of discrimination, prejudice and bullying.

We continue to work through other opportunities to build community knowledge, such as updating the Gallery’s online catalogue, with ongoing advice and support from the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Jewish Board of Deputies.

To learn more or to read the commissioned report please see Council's media release.