Summary

Registration bag used by participants at the 1997 Bendigo Women on Farms Gathering. This bag and a few hundred like it were made by the organising committee to hold all the material given to participants at registration. It contained a program, advertising material, local produce and various sponsor promotions. The large logo was printed by an ink stamp that was used by the committee to produce their own promotional material and keep running costs down.
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

Heavyweight brown paper carry bag with twisted paper handles. The bag has a folded gusset on each side and the base is folded flat. The logo has a central round section showing a woman wearing a wide brimmed hat. The remainder is in three sections, one depicting grazing sheep, one depicting grazing sheep and cattle and the third depicting large city buildings beyond hills. A post and rail fence outlines the lower third of the circular design. All the lettering and design are hand painted. The back of the bag has the name Beryl Taylor hand written in ball point ink.

Significance

A key feature that unites all Victorian Women on Farms Gatherings is the tradition of giving gifts and souvenirs to participants. These gifts are usually sourced from the region that the Gathering is held and include local foodstuffs, pamphlets and handcrafted goods. They are usually handed to participants at the beginning of the Gathering during registration, and are often contained within a bag, such as this 1997 Bendigo Gathering bag. This tradition of gift-giving allows the local organising committee to showcase their region's produce, as well as to make their guests feel welcome from the outset of the Gathering weekend.

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