Summary

This single fused and partly melted piece of crockery includes the remains of at least two ceramic bowls and an egg cup which were found in the remains of the kitchen in a home in Kinglake West. The house and all its contents were completely destroyed in the 7 February 2009 Kilmore East Bushfire.

Physical Description

Broken pieces of two small ceramic bowls, one green stoneware and one fluted white small soufflé bowl. Both are fused together by a melted mass of ceramic to which a broken egg cup is also adhered.

Significance

This object is part of a small collection from a home in Kinglake West. This house and all its contents were destroyed in the Kilmore East Fire on 7 February 2009. Along with the Murrindindi Fire, the Kilmore East Fire which burned in a south-westerly direction from Kilmore to Healesville caused the greatest destruction of life and property on Black Saturday, particularly at Kinglake and Kinglake West. The donor was able to return to the property only two days later, and located these few recognizable objects including objects from the kitchen, heirlooms from two generations of his family and the remains of a coin collection he had started in 1993.

Museum Victoria has established the Victorian Bushfires Collection to record and preserve experiences of those who survived the fires and to document and preserve a representative collection of objects relating to the history of bushfires in Victoria and the 7 February 2009 fires in particular. This small collection represents in microcosm, the loss of family objects handed down over generations, everyday household objects and personal items which had been collected and valued over many years. The donor contacted the Museum only a few days after the 7 February fires to offer these items.

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