All the Necessary Points

This collection of first-aid books was likely compiled and put together in the pictured hessian bag for distribution by a local Civil Defence Organisation, after WWII ended. These Civil Defence Organisations are considered something of a precursor to today’s State Emergency Services. There were intended to establish a local base of willing volunteers to serve […]

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A Real Page Turner

In William Kentridge’s Breathe (2008) a dancing figure, drawn in black India ink, pirouettes across the pages of an old book. Using the nineteenth century technology of flip book animation, Kentridge (1955-) makes the image come alive with each turn of a page, creating a 34-second animation that makes us think about the differences between […]

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Best in Class

During the 1930s, the Great Depression meant that one in three Australian breadwinners were out of work, and many families struggled to survive. It was during this time that this cabinet was used to store books at a school, as indicated by the typewritten page pasted inside the door which was sent home with pupils […]

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Forged in Faith

This little green book of religious instruction has been cared for by generations of women. Wilson on the Lord’s Supper was first published in 1733 by a bishop from the Isle of Man. His words reached the small settlement of Morpeth in New South Wales, via the early St James’s Church of England parishioners. Among […]

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