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“This is about when I was young and I bin start learning for work. This story when I bin learn to work on Mabel Downs Station. This one when I bin start washing clothes; this one when I used to go for nanny goat to milk ‘em milk; that one I bin learn to make bed for gardiya.”
When Shirley was around 15 years of age, she recalls being taught to work as a maid on Mabel Downs Station. She had to wake up very early before sunrise, and commit to arduous labour involving polishing the floors; washing clothes by boiling them and ironing them; making the whitefella’s beds; and collecting fresh milk by milking the nanny goats on the station. She would work right through until the end of dinner time, washing up the dishes when the station owners finished their meals, and retiring after long work days that lasted around 12 hours.
This exhibition features new works from ten women artists reinterpreting and reimagining elements of Australian history, enriching the contemporary narrative around Australia’s history and biography, reflecting the tradition of storytelling in our country.
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