WA Heritage Festival 2017 – Voices of the Women
Homestead
Textiles conservation – Red cross cloth, New wedding gown & costume displays.
In the early years of WA’s colonisation the opportunities for women’s voices to be heard were few and far between, which meant their actions spoke louder than words, and keeping up appearances was important.
The women continued to wear elaborate gowns from their homelands, imported delicate materials for their wedding gowns and put their energies into expressing their unheard voices in their treatment of their furnishings, homecrafts and embroidery. This continued until the need for women to take a stronger role during the war years.
The Azelia Ley Homestead Museum now displays several recently conserved 1800-1900 costumes, a newly conserved early 1900’s wedding dress, and the 1942 Red Cross cloth, embroidered with many famous signatures to raise money for our boys fighting in the war.
Wagonhouse Museum
Patchwork in the Park
On Mothers Day, at the Museum’s Vintage Vehicle and Market Garden Machinery Day with Patchwork in the Park, we will be launching the new Wagonhouse room, featuring the local schools histories and the domestic machinery of the early migrants.
Also featured is our ongoing pioneer board and stories of the early settlers.
During the school holidays and for school excursions we provide activity sheets for school age children.
Outbuildings
Freedom of speech
The Historical Society of Cockburn have recently had the Museum’s Outbuildings refurbished. In our Freedom of speech project at the old garage/stables, we will be linking with the local Dalmatinac Club, to record and write the stories of the Italian post war migrant women, giving them the chance to tell their stories in their own language, and translating them for all to share.
