When Old Tom’s skeleton moved towards the ceiling of Eden’s Killer Whale Museum in 2024, the old copper wiring had to go. Copper could corrode or fail in a suspended display. Its replacements were wires enclosed in silicone tubing.[1]

The orca had died in 1930. George Davidson and his son Wallace prepared the remains after a neighbour, J. R. Logan, proposed keeping the skeleton for exhibition. Davidson towed the body to the Kiah tryworks to begin that work.[2]

A tall orca dorsal fin rises beside a long open boat carrying whalers.
A historical image identified as Old Tom beside whalers at Eden. Charles Eden Wellings; public domain. The Commons record identifies it as a film still first publicly shown in 1912.Photo: Charles Eden Wellings (1881–1952) · Source · Public domain (expired copyright, Australia and United States) · Full provided frame retained; JPEG compression only, no crop or enhancement. Commons supplied image was already cropped to remove an NLA ID bar; no additional crop.

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Eden Killer Whale Museum, New South Wales. This map locates the town or region, not a verified exact historic event site.

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The later move had its own preparation. An Australian National Maritime Museum grant announced in 2023 supported an electric lifting mechanism for the skeleton.[3] The team had six days for conservation and reassembly. Frances Paterson checked individual bones for cracks and examined old repairs. Brushes and sponges cleaned the bone surfaces; tissue paper and injected materials helped fill cracks, according to Adriane Reardon’s reporting for ABC.[1]

Museum preparator Dean Smith also corrected the arrangement. Flippers had been mounted the wrong way around, and the ribcage needed expanding. The team reassembled Old Tom only metres from his former position, but with a different posture and overhead support.[1]