In an unusual arrangement that follows a decade of negotiations,the museum will pay more than $8 million for a large part of Kennedy's collection with payments in six instalments ending in 2023.
And in a donation,on an unprecedented scale,Mr Kennedy has given the museum other items of historical significance – valued at between $7 and $10 million – to retain the collection's integrity and character.
Kennedy said he hoped the collection would give Australians the opportunity to"explore and better understand our nation’s remarkable history".
Together,his collection told a history of a colony where"everything was a battle,by settlers pushing further and further"into the bush and the Indigenous population being treated"very badly"with tragic consequences.
The museum's director Dr Mathew Trinca said the acquisition was one of the most significant in the institution’s history."Honestly,it's awesome,"he said.
Its breadth and scope was so extraordinary,far outstripping the museum's previous largest single acquisition of $1 million,that the museum decided to fund it from future annual allocations for acquisitions.