What visitors may not know is that Fort Scratchley is managed by a team of 80 volunteers, who form the Fort Scratchley Historical Society.

President of the non-profit organisation, Frank Carter, has  led the team for four years.

 Committee member and tour guide John Cater, who has volunteered for the society for the past decade, says Carter ‘‘has done more for the society in four years than anyone else in the last ten’’. 

‘‘He’s a top guy. He’s really got the place at heart and he believes in what he does,’’ he said.

 ‘‘He listens to what we hear, say or suggest and if it needs to be acted upon, he’ll do it.

‘‘Since he’s been here, we have a total of five working guns and a sixth one coming soon, more than any other fort in Australia.’’

Cater also says Carter has been integral to maintaining the prestige of the site, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Newcastle.

‘‘He’s the president of the whole organisation but he also gets us grants from various organisations and the state government,’’ Cater said.

Carter’s tireless work for the society helped secure a $70,000 grant from the state government and Hunter Water go towards a daily lunchtime firing of the cannon, a common request among tourists.

The daily firings were common practice until 1915 and  their revival  is expected to bring many more tourist dollars to the site.

Carter was born in 1947 in Waratah, and with both parents serving in the air force during WWII he had a connection to the military from very early on.

In 1972, Carter served as a gunner in the Citizen Military Force’s 113 Field Battery at Fort Scratchley for around seven years. 

The 113 Battery was the last army unit to occupy the fort before being relocated to Adamstown Army Depot, ending a century of military use of the site.

Carter went on to work as a shipping and dispatch officer at Eastern Nitrogen Ltd (now known as Orica) at Kooragang Island for many years. 

After his retirement, Carter returned to the site of his military service and  began volunteering for the Fort Scratchley Historical Society three days a week, joining a large team of volunteers.

His dedication and hard work within the society earned him the position of president not long after.

‘‘We do everything from running the tours, manning the kiosk, research into identifying  artefacts to contribute to the museum, and restoration work around the place,’’ he said.

Newcastle City Council’s manager of major venues, Geoff Turkington, said dealing with Carter and the society is ‘‘the highlight of my job’’.

‘‘They’re constantly out looking for funds, sponsorship and philanthropic money to restore the site and they just do it out of passion. It’s incredible,’’ he said.

‘‘I don’t think there would be many other cities in the world that would have such a significant attraction run by volunteers.’’