Summary

T-shirt from the 1993 Tallangatta Women on Farms Gathering. This green t-shirt was worn by members of the Tallangatta Women on Farms Gathering organising committee as a form of identification. On their heads they wore a white tennis sunvisor with a green badge attached. Reflecting on their experience of organising the Gathering, members of the Tallangatta organising committee wrote in the Gathering Proceedings: 'The ten women who journeyed together will treasure that eleven months of intense planning and organisation. It was a time of change in our lives. Without exception, each had major personal adjustments to make at home and on the farm; but the experience of planning the Gathering and what each of us learned - in new skills, new friends and about ourselves - outweighed all else.'
Part of Museums Victoria's Invisible Farmer Project Collection. The Invisible Farmer Project was the largest ever study of Australian women on the land, uncovering the histories and stories of Australian women in agriculture. It began as a pilot project (2015-2016) and evolved into a three year (2017-2020) nation-wide partnership between rural communities, academic, government and cultural organisations, funded by the Australian Research Council.the absence of rural women in mainstream histories and museums.

Physical Description

Used green polo shirt with white circular logo of the Tallangatta Women on Farms Gathering on the right hand side. Size 102, Target. Manufacturer's logo on left hand side front. Large Tallangatta Women on Farms Gathering logo on back.

Significance

This object was collected by a member of the organising committee for the 1993 Tallangatta Gathering. It represents and celebrates the voluntary work of those women who worked on the committee to bring about the Gathering. A key feature that unites all Victorian Women on Farms Gatherings is the voluntary nature of these events. Women from the local region usually come together approximately one to two years prior to the Gathering to begin planning and organising, which includes securing a venue, sponsorship, accommodation, catering, publicity, tours, workshops and speakers. During the event the organising committee continue to oversee and run the Gathering, and it is customary for them to wear something that will make them identifiable to Gathering participants. Objects such as this green polo shirt represent the voluntary contribution that these women have made not only to the Gatherings themselves, but also to their local communities and to the wider rural women's movement in Australia.

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