Summary

Dark green polo shirt with logo. This shirt was worn by members of the 2000 Yarra Valley (Healesville) Women on Farms Gathering organising committee.
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

Dark green polyester/cotton knitted fabric polo shirt with knitted band collar, overlap neck opening with three buttons and buttonholes. White printed logo over left breast. Large design on back, printed in white, shows woman with hat holding fruit in arms, sauce bottles adjacent. Hens in farmyard, flowers and a computer in front of a horse looking over a gate. Barn in middle ground with rolling hills and lowering sun in background.

Significance

This object was collected by the Chairperson of the organising committee for the 2000 Yarra Valley (Healesville) 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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