Detachable satin collar worn by members of the Babaneek Ladies' Choir, c. 1960, Lake Macquarie City Council, Speers Point NSW, Australia.
On a Monday night in 1950 a group of women gathered at Booloroo Uniting Church and sang from the heart. Based around Lake Macquarie (NSW, Australia), and adopting the Awabakal word for ‘mother’, they became known as the Babaneek Ladies’ Choir. This is a story of faith, friendship, and the gift of song.
Please note: Regional exhibitions often change, so it is possible the object/s in this story may not be on display. Please call the museum, gallery or cultural centre where the object is held if you would like to check.
Images, information and audio recordings of the Babaneek Ladies’ Choir supplied by Lake Macquarie City Council Cultural Collection.
Lake Macquarie City Council Cultural Collections is currently located at Speers Point, Booragul and Belmont, on the shores of Lake Macquarie, on Awabakal Country, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales.
At the end of 2022, the museum portion of the Cultural Collections will be housed in the newly built Sugar Valley Library Museum, on the corner of Portland and Northridge Drive, Cameron Park. This will be the Hunter Valley’s first combined library and museum facility, with the capacity to store up to 7000 heritage items. The new building will feature exhibitions exploring the history of the Lake Macquarie region as well as national travelling exhibitions and also include community lounge areas, study spaces, conference rooms and access to new technology such as a Virtual Reality experience of Killingworth Colliery.
139 Main Rd, Speers Point NSW 2284
www.lakemac.com.au/
Renae Mason for Lake Macquarie City Council Cultural Collections, ‘The Gift of Song: The Babaneek Ladies' Choir’, story date: 26 April 2022, https://storyplace.org.au/story/the-gift-of-song/, accessed on: 21 December 2024
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
Digital image courtesy of Lake Macquarie City Council, 2022
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