Interesting Objects

2016 - 2017

What do a doll called Ruth, a miner’s couch and a 222 year old document have in common? They are all part of our exhibition that pays tribute to Hawkesbury Historical Society, 60 years old in 2016, members of which have been invited to choose objects from the collection that they, as individuals, find the most interesting and significant.

They include the Society’s first minute-book (chosen by Dr Ian Jack), kept by inaugural Secretary Doug Bowd, a local teacher and historian whose books on Hawkesbury history are still regarded as essential reading. There is also the original title deed to the farm of ex-convict settler, Samuel Jackson, issued in November 1794 (chosen by Jan Barkly Jack).  This deed is the only 1794 grant deed known in Australia, and is the earliest Hawkesbury item in the collection.  Other items include John Tebbutt’s celestial globe (chosen by John Flavin), an exquisite lace collar and 1920s black beaded dress (Carol Carruthers), a miner’s couch (Judy Newland) and a rigged cutter model boat (Ted Books OAM).

The Hawkesbury Historical Society collection consists of over 5,000 objects from as small as a hairpin to as large as a police boat, all of which help to tell the history of the Hawkesbury.

Through this exhibition we celebrate the Society’s milestone and its foresight in collecting so many objects. Their significance – to both the local community and, because of its role in the early days of colony, to Australia – is something for everyone to think about, to enjoy, and to treasure.

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