In the midst of the John Oxley Library’s White Gloves Tour to Longreach last weekend a special detour was made to Barcaldine to coincide with Sunday’s Community Cabinet meeting. 

A feature item of this year’s White Gloves Tours has been the Manifesto of the Labour Party to the People of Queensland, 1892. Recently added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register the Manifesto is a very special document, particularly in relation to the central west where the modern day Australian Labor Party had its origins.

On Sunday evening the Manifesto was displayed under the Tree of Knowledge monument and generated a great deal of interest from those who had gathered for the open air BBQ dinner with Premier Anna Bligh and members of her cabinet.

Folklore has it that the Manifesto was read publicly under the Tree of Knowledge in Barcaldine some time after the shearers’ strike of 1891.

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On Saturday 31 October the John Oxley Library White Gloves Tour continued to Longreach. As the sun went down on a beautiful outback afternoon the Oxley’s treasures were displayed in the charming interior of the Stockman’s Hall of Fame, R.M. Williams Cottage. Adjacent to the cottage 150 locals were gathered for the latest At Our Table banquet held in the Cattlemen’s Bar and Grill.

On the following Monday afternoon locals made their way to the Longreach Library where they donned the white gloves and examined the John Oxley Library materials on display. These included a range of items relating to the central west including fascinating letters from Aramac Station written in 1889, a scrapbook kept by John Howe, son of the famous shearer Jackie Howe, the first QANTAS Log Book from 1921, and Queensland’s earliest known handwritten journal of recipes and remedies from 1866.

Thanks to Carmen from the Longreach Library and the hospitality and interest shown by the people of Longreach. Thankyou also to those who shared their stories and donated materials to the John Oxley Library collection during this fantastic White Gloves Tour to the Central West.

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We’ve just finished installing the latest Treasures Wall exhibition on Level 4 – Meriba Gidhal: Torres Strait Island Treasures of the Margaret Lawrie Collection.  The install is the culmination of many months of preparation, and it is very satisfying to finally see all the collection and loan items up on display. 

 ”Amipuru” by Ephraim Bani, 1967.  Call No: TR 1791/349

Exhibition installation can be an exhausting few days – climbing in and out of the wall; carrying table-tops and fitting mounts;  getting artworks hanging in just the right spot; adjusting lights; stretching and bending and squeezing in to small spaces! But at the end of the day it is lovely to look back on what you’ve done and see the transformation of an empty space in to a colourful display.  It’s one of the highlights of our job.

For the Exhibitions Conservation team, the preparation of items for Meriba Gidhal has primarily involved mounting and framing the watercolour paintings and pencil drawings, and preparing the loan items for mounts. For every item there are photographs taken and condition reports written, mount assessments done and light levels established. Behind the scenes has been a flurry of activity. We breathe a sigh of relief that everything has been safely installed, and we now begin work on the next one!

 Watercolour by Kala Waia.  Call No: TR 1791/345

 The exhibition opens tonight and will be on display until February 28, 2010.  Enjoy!

 Rhiannon Walker - Exhibitions Conservator

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In 2009 Australia Post launched a fantastic project called Letters of a Nation to mark its 200th anniversary. This  project aims to form an archive of some of the more interesting letters delivered by posties throughout this period. A book will be compiled later in the year.

Members of the public and major archives and libraries around the country have been asked to contribute their best letters for the project and these are available through a searchable online database:

https://200years.auspost.com.au/html/loan/archive/ 

 Dame Nellie Melba photographed outside the Gresham Hotel, Brisbane, ca. 1909. neg 36747

If you do a search on the database you will discover two letters contributed by the State Library of Queensland. One is written by a young Nellie Armstrong (Dame Nellie Melba) to her singing teacher, Signor Cecchi, in 1883:

https://200years.auspost.com.au/html/loan/archive/view_detail/1172

 Bert Hinkler alighting from his plane, 1928. neg 65644

The other is by Bert Hinkler in London to his parents in Bundaberg written in 1919 which details his plans to fly his ”Sopwith Dove” from England to Australia.

https://200years.auspost.com.au/html/loan/archive/view_detail/1177

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The John Oxley Library 75th anniversary white gloves tour continues with our latest trip to the Granite Belt region.  Timed to coincide with the “At Our Table” event at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism at Stanthorpe, a range of treasures from the library’s collections were on display for the day.

Amongst the items of local interest on display were an early album of images of Warwick, a register of plantings in the gardens of Talgai Station and early registers of the Allora School of Arts and the Warwick Hotel.

In line with the “At Our Table” theme, recipes were a focus in the selection of items.  The earliest known handwritten notebook of recipes and remedies was on display and will be included in all future white gloves tours.  Kept by Phillis Clark at East Talgai Station in the 1860s, it is one of our most important treasures.  Also able to be viewed was an early register kept at the Warwick Hotel, containing various recipes used by the hotel.

The tour continues on 24th and 25th August with presentations at the Stanthorpe, Allora and Warwick libraries.

  Recipe and Remedy Book by Phillis Clark

  Items on display at Stanthorpe

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A small group of Heritage Collections staff attended a special tour of the University of Queensland Art Museum’s Exhibition Triumph in the Tropics, on May the 18th. The personal tour was conducted by the curators, Professor Peter Spearritt and Dr Marion Stell.  The State Library lent a large number of items, so it was a great opportunity to see so many on display.

 Professor Spearitt and Dr Stell with John Oxley Library staff members

The Exhibition contains a wonderfully eclectic collection of posters, books, pamphlets, multi media footage, magazines and iconic souvenirs, such as tea towels, cups, ash trays, stickers, plates and jewellery – all representing the selling of Queensland.  

Out thanks to Professor Spearritt and Dr Stell for taking us through the Exhibition and for providing a delicious morning tea after our private viewing.

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This virtual exhibition explores Queensland’s first 50 years as a dynamic “work in progress”. Stories of people, places, institutions and lifestyles tell the history of what makes this state so special. As they unfold, we move back and forth between the Queensland of bygone days and today. We see beautiful things that intrigue and amaze. We learn why they are important for understanding our past and why they were chosen from thousands of other items in the Heritage Collections.

This exhibition is an exciting collaboration between the State Library’s Historian-in-Residence and Griffith University Professor Anna Haebich and staff from Heritage Collections.

Please leave your comments about the Becoming Queensland virtual exhibition here.

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