Opening of Australian Journeys Gallery, National Museum of Australia, Canberra
Wolselely Handpieces at the Australian Journeys Gallery on display at Canberra.
Three on the left belong to Walgett District Historical Society
It was my pleasure, following an invitation from the National Museum of Australia to attend the special event of the opening of the Australian Journeys Gallery at Canberra on Thursday 29 January 2009.
I caught a flight from Dubbo to Sydney and another flight from Sydney to Canberra, arriving on a hot afternoon to be met by Cheryl Crilly, Museum Curator, Australian Society and Culture and Laina Hall who conveyed me to my accommodation at University House, very roomy and comfortable, surrounded by lovely shady trees.
Author of “Fred Wolseley – a Man of Many Parts”, Mr Ian Itter and his daughter-in-law, Marita, picked me up and took me to the function. On arrival at the Museum, situated on the Acton Peninsula jutting out into Lake Burley Griffin with wonderful views, I was struck by the impressively huge building, all architectural angles, colour and glass. We proceeded through the expansive glass entrance into the “Hall” where somewhere over five hundred people were circulating in this massive open area with ceilings soaring to twelve meters.
Waiters were mingling with the guests with trays laden with cocktail savouries of all types including fish, cheese, risotto balls, prawns, oysters, trays of wines and beer, they really looked after the people. It was no time until the “Wolseley” collectors found each other and were again telling stories about their artifacts and particularly Ian, who is never short of a story about Frederick York Wolseley, is very entertaining.
I met the Australian of the Year Professor Mick Dobson and had my photograph taken with him.
After an hour or so of socialising, the official opening began from a raised dais beneath a huge screen on which the whole proceedings could be viewed by everyone in the Hall.
Kirsten Wehner, Director and Senior Curator, Gallery Development, welcomed the guests and introduced the official party. Kirsten spoke about the original ideas for the new gallery, how they grew and developed. After viewing the gallery, I believe her family was involved with telescopes.
Following Kirsten, Aunty Agnes Shea, Elder from the Nguhnarre people, spoke very well about the Aboriginal input into the exhibition and the early times.
Dr Martha Sear, Senior Curator, spoke about early Australia, the First Fleet, and how Australia influenced the career of a servant of the Colony by his idea to please his superior Hammond. A tree was cut down in the colony around 1787 and it was a wood they did not recognise, but was very attractive, so Mr White, decided to have something made for his superior with the hope that his career desires would be met, so he went to the saw pit, selected planks of this wood and sent it to England to be made into something for Mr Hammond. It was made with other woods, ebony, oak etc and the Australian wood, which it was assumed to be a Grevillea or Casarina but was actually “Beefwood” as we know it today. A small drop sided Pemberton table was beautifully made from a selection of timbers and this Mr White presented to Mr Hammond, who later approved Mr White’s appeal. This table was much appreciated and kept in the house for two hundred years and was only purchased by the Australian National Museum a couple of years ago. A unique and beautiful item. Dr Sear spoke about many other things including immigrants coming from other countries and their achievements in Australia.
Following Dr Sear, a band played and sang a Scottish song from pioneering days. The song was found by the Museum researchers at Dubbo.
Mr John Hirst, Deputy Chair of the Museum Council, told us about the development of the Museum and thanked the Hon Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts for Government input. He said it has been a big project since the Museum was opened in 2001. The Australian Journeys Gallery is the first to be redeveloped and work on the second gallery, Our Nation is underway. He also spoke about Captain Cook and how he was not only revered by Australia, but the French as well, who had a “Bust” made of Captain Cook which is on display in the Gallery.
The Hon Peter Garrett, MP was introduced and spoke well about the Museum, then declared the Australian Journeys Gallery open. There were a lot of people anxious to speak with him afterwards and we did not get close enough to meet him.
After the speeches, half the guests were invited to inspect the new gallery first, as there was not enough space for everyone at once and then our turn came. We entered through more glass doors, walked a fairly long walk up a ramp to the stairs entrance to the gallery. The Museum was closing at 9.30pm, so we really did not have enough time to inspect the forty exhibits, so checked out a few and then headed to the Wolseley exhibition.
Here we found, five different sets of overhead gear set up on an Oregon timber plank, including the rope driven one, the straight spoke friction wheel, with flexible down tube, (the straight spokes were unsuccessful as they flew to pieces and caused the shearers grief). There was one overhead gear on loan from the Powerhouse Museum which had “lugs” on the friction wheel, no one knew why, plus the curved spoke friction wheel and Wolseley’s early 1900’s electric overhead gear. This ran hot and was unsuccessful.
The National Museum of Australia owned the portable Wolseley shearing plant, a large and heavy outfit.
It was good to meet up with Alan Cameron and his wife Irene, from Tamworth, who had the early Wolseley rope overhead drive and two shearing stands in the display,
The Walgett Historical Society’s Wolseley handpieces, hand shear and horse clippers were displayed in a long Perspex case, along with the early experimental handpieces, combs and cutters, oil pots, blade shears and screw drivers, all part of the highly significant Dangar Gedye and Malloch collection on loan from Max Kerr and Boyd Williams. Walgett Historical Society’s photograph of the “Euroka” shearing shed, as it was before the storm demolished the building late last year was also on show. Another contributor was Des Debelle and the Wolseley Car grille was loaned by Alan Cameron.
The Museum had a fixed handpiece which was there to show visitors what a working handpiece felt like. When switched on it quivered as though it was running.
We were very impressed with the display and there is a large interest in it. The Walgett Historical Society has every reason to feel privileged and honoured having their artifacts on National Display. Once again. Ian Itter was the “expert” telling the visitors what everything was and much of the history involved. I am sure that his personal knowledge makes everything so much more interesting to visitors.
Beside the Wolseley exhibit, there is a fine merino wool exhibit, showing fine wools on a Goldsbrough Mort Board (Goldsbrough Mort was a Stock and Station agent) and a magnificent pink woollen dress made in England by David Jones for a Miss Faithful from Springfield Merino Stud, Goulburn in the 1800’s. Absolutely beautiful.
Due to the short time available to view the gallery, I returned next morning and saw what I could before catching a flight back to Sydney.
I would need to write a book to cover all the magnificent exhibits, including the fruit industry and sugar cane story, the timber industry, gold mining, religious, fishing, Aboriginal, war time and the Light Horse, cultures of other countries, their dress, improvised musical instruments, time and labour put into wonderful handwork and craft, the convict story with the convict discs, Captain Cook, his telescopes etc, the furniture and wood working tools and sporting exhibits, eg cricket.
The seven Museum people who made up the team who put this exhibition together over three or four years have done a marvelous job and deserve many accolades and to be sincerely congratulated on such a wonderful outcome.
I cannot complete this report without saying a special thank you to Ian Itter, Cheryl Crilly and the National Museum of Australia for their generous assistance and support and making it possible for me to attend the special opening of this magnificent exhibition, it has been a real highlight and a great promotion for Walgett.
I have to thank also, Dr Martha Sear, Alan and Irene Cameron, Laina Hall, Marita Itter,
Max Kerr and Des Debelle for looking after me whilst in Canberra.
I have to say here that I was disappointed I could not find someone from Walgett Shire Council to accompany me to this great function which really is a feather in Walgett’s cap and wonderful promotional opportunity. We all had to act promptly to get to Canberra because of shortness of time, but it could be done.
The Exhibition runs for two years, time for everyone to visit, so do not miss it!!
Margaret Weber,
President,
Walgett District Historical Society
Wolselely Collectors Alan Cameron, Tamworth, Ian Itter, Historian & Author, Margaret Weber, Walgett, Historical Society, Max Kerr, Dangar Gedye & Malloch Collection, Des Debelle, Gun Shearer and shearing tutor.
Australian of the Year Professor Mick Dobson and Margaret Weber at Opening
of Australian Journeys Gallery at National Museum of Australia
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