Support the Main Kitchen
Transform our historic kitchen with a new exhibition.
Hidden at the back of Old Parliament House is a place that few Australians have ever seen. The parliamentary catering service staff called it the main kitchen, and it was a bustling engine room where parliamentary meals were prepared.
This remarkable historic space is being conserved and transformed into an exhibition that will open in 2027 for the centenary of Old Parliament House. It will immerse visitors in parliamentary catering from 1927 to 1988 and tell stories of the staff – from chefs and kitchen hands to bar attendants and waiters.
Food prepared in the main kitchen travelled via trolleys, lifts, trays, and corridors to dining rooms that included the Members' Dining Room, the Members' and Guests' Dining Room, private dining rooms, and the Speaker's and President's Dining Rooms. There was even room service. Old Parliament House was truly a self-contained village with the kitchen as its heart.
Help us share the stories of the parliamentary catering service and the dedicated staff who sustained the Australian Parliament. Your donation will contribute to conserving the historic kitchen, developing the exhibition and expanding digital access to the collection.
'The main kitchen is a time capsule of parliamentary catering spanning six decades of culinary history from the 1920s to the 1980s. This exhibition will invite visitors to discover how food sustained the parliament through historic appliances, cookware and tableware, along with stories and photographs, that evoke the history of the Commonwealth Parliament Refreshment Rooms and its staff.'
– Dr Kate Armstrong, Manager Interpretation and Content Development
Parliamentary Catering Service staff in the pantry, about 1980s.
Photograph courtesy of Frank Reinpacher, MoAD Collection
Dining staff in the Senate Courtyard, about 1940s–50s.
Photograph courtesy of Joy Hoffman, MoAD Collection
Head chef Jim Barritt-Eyles and pastry chef Tony Scarth with a centrepiece for Princess Alexandra, 1959.
Photograph courtesy of Sheila Barritt-Eyles, MoAD Collection
Apprentice chef Kathy Cole deep frying in the main kitchen, 1988.
Photograph Robert McFarlane, MoAD Collection
The main kitchen at Parliament House was set up for industrial-scale catering, 1985.
Photograph Lori Anglin, Tanner and Associates
Head chef Jim Barritt-Eyles and staff with banquet fare, about 1950s.
Photograph courtesy of Sheila Barritt-Eyles, MoAD Collection
John Guy and Hans (surname unknown) prepare onions in the vegetable preparation room, 1988.
Photograph Robert McFarlane, MoAD Collection
Chef James Horace 'Horrie' Worster carving turkeys in the main kitchen at Parliament House, about 1940s.
Photograph Betty Hall Collection, National Museum of Australia
Originally installed in 1927, the Galliers & Klaerr hot press kept food warm until 1988, 1985.
Photograph Lori Anglin, Tanner and Associates
Peter Frey and Nick Karvounaris with a buffet for the Queen's Silver Jubilee, 1977.
Photograph courtesy of Peter Fray, MoAD Collection
Chefs in the House of Representatives Courtyard, about 1940s.
Photograph courtesy of Tony Scarth, MoAD Collection
Behind the scenes of the staff cafeteria at Parliament House, 1985.
Photograph Lori Anglin, Howard Tanner and Associates
A kitchen worker preparing lobster in the main kitchen, about 1940s.
Photograph Betty Hall Collection, National Museum of Australia
The main kitchen prepared food for everyone, from banquets for royalty to cafeteria-style fare for staff, 1985.
Photograph Lori Anglin, Tanner and Associates
Pastry chef Arthur Mueller with lavishly decorated gingerbread houses and cakes, about 1950s.
Photograph courtesy of Tony Scarth, MoAD Collection
Donate Your Way
All gifts make a difference. Donations over $2 are fully tax deductible. Donations of $50 or more will be acknowledged on our website and in our Annual Report.
Donate $100 for 100 years
Your $100 for 100 years donation will help MoAD deliver meaningful impact across education, heritage, and our storytelling.
Centenary Circle
Become a Centenary Circle donor with a gift of $10,000 or more. In recognition, Centenary Circle donors will be permanently inscribed on our donor boards, and acknowledged on our website and Annual Report. Donations of $10,000 can be made in 1 or 2 payment instalments over 2 years. Contact us to make your Centenary Circle donation.
Contact Us
Annalisa Millar, Head Development, Marketing, Communications and Commercial
Phone: (02) 6270 8123
Email: annalisa.millar@moadoph.gov.au
Chena Ferguson-Briggs, A/g Development Manager
Phone: (02) 6270 8110
Email: chena.fergusonbriggs@moadoph.gov.au
All enquiries can also be emailed to the Development Office via development@moadoph.gov.au
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