In 1981 the Director of Artillery identified the lack of attention being given to the history and heritage of artillery in Australia. Many items of relevance to gunners were slowly but surely deteriorating with little interest being shown. Rather than giving the task to serving members of the Regiment as an extra regimental appointment – a second job without extra hours – the Director called upon retired gunners and friends, who not only had the time but also had the interest, to help. They established the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society (RAAHS) with a charter “…to administer the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Museum”.

The old Drill Hall at Manly Vale was provided for use as a base and housed the collection as it grew. In 1992 the collection was moved to North Fort where the National Artillery Museum was established to be situated with the 9.2 inch gun emplacements. Volunteers formed the backbone of the newly created museum but they were well supported by the School, Regiments and Directors of Artillery who, over the years, provided both the facilities and personnel to assist with administering the growing collection of guns, equipment, artillery memorabilia and library.

In 1996 with the pending move of the School of Artillery the RAA made the decision to retain the Museum at North Fort and a small area of land at North Fort was set aside for retention by Defence. The disbandment of the Directorate of Artillery and the allocation of responsibility to the Australian Army History Unit (AAHU) for the management of all Corps museums saw the RAAHS transform from a Society to a Company in 1997.  The Society now operated as a business corporation titled the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC). The RAAHC is governed by Corporations Law and operates under the auspices of the Australian Securities Investment Commission (ASIC). This change from a Society to a Company was mandated by a Defence Instruction that aimed to clarify the insurance coverage for Volunteers.  The RAAHC and the AAHU entered into an Operating Agreement that defined the responsibilities of each entity. AAHU became responsible for the day to day running of the Museum with an established Army staff augmented by an expanding group of dedicated and trained volunteers who carried out restoration and maintenance work on equipment, worked in the Library; acted as Tour Guides and attended to the Defence of Sydney Memorial and Australia’s Memorial Walk.

The RAAHC remained focused on supporting the Museum at North Fort and the associated artillery collection. In 1999, the RAAHC initiated a Memorial Walk at North Fort comprising a series of five monuments linked by a pathway constructed from pavers donated by friends, families, relatives, local organisations, clubs and corporations as a means of commemorating their own or relatives’ military service. The Walk now called “ Australia’s Memorial Walk” continues its development under the auspices of the RAAHC.

During late 2009 and into early 2010, structural changes in the relationship with AAHU at North Head saw the Company close its Business Office and the North Fort Cafe. It was agreed that the Company needed to recruit people with specific skills to the Board and to re-focus its operations.

The Board turned to the Representative Colonel Commandant, Major General Tim Ford and the Regimental Committee, to assist in revitalising the focus and the administration of the RAAHC. It was agreed that the focus had to shift from a single museum to a national body designed to maintain and preserve the history and heritage of Australian Artillery throughout Australia. The RAAHC would continue to support the Australian Army Artillery Museum (AAAM) as it remains the central element in preserving Gunner heritage and history. This National Approach was sanctioned by the 2010 AGM.

An early challenge was a decision by Defence close the North Fort museum in December 2010 and to vacate the North Head area from April 2011. Control over the area became the responsibility of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust (SHFT).  It is the long-term intention within Defence to develop a new combined Australian Army Armoured and Artillery Museum at Puckapunyal, Victoria.  As an interim measure, the bulk of the Artillery Collection was transported to Bandiana, Victoria for temporary storage while the new Museum is developed. This has concentrated the scope of long-standing negotiations between Defence and the Company on ownership of individual line items in the Collection.

Leading up to the 2011 AGM, the process of recruiting new Directors with specific skills from outside the Sydney region was continued with new appointments from WA and the Regular Army. Just prior to the 2011 AGM, the Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SHFT for occupancy of facilities (Registry Building and the Library) at North Fort. Volunteers continue to assist at North Fort on projects relating to the military heritage of the site and also with restoration of historical artillery objects.