Summary

Interview with Brialey Brightwell and her mother Karen Meeuwissen by Tagen Baker at Hoddles Creek, Victoria, on 6 August 2016. Original recording.

Brialey Brightwell began working at Nerrigundah Berries at the age of 22. As a family-owned and operated farm in Hoddles Creek, Brialey and her mother Karen Meeuwissen manage the production of a variety of berries, specialising in raspberries, blackberries, and boysenberries. In this interview Brialey speaks passionately about her role as a farmer, sustainability, land use, and irrigation farming practices.
This interview is one of 13 that were conducted by Tagen Baker as part of the Invisible Farmer ARC project, in initial research undertaken in August 2016. 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.

Tagen Baker is a Research Associate with Museums Victoria and is a PhD student at Utah State University in the Department of Environment and Society. Tagen describes her research involving an exploration of: 'the diverse landscapes of Victoria by interviewing and photographing women farmers - to learn from them about their histories, responses to climate change, and how they have adapted their agricultural practices to sustain themselves and their families. I wanted to know how their experiences have been similar or different to women in my home state of Idaho, USA. How have women been key agents of change embedded in their environments? How do women farmers provide unique perspectives and contributions to the futures of agriculture and to their communities?'

Description of Content

Digital audio recording, MP3

Physical Description

Digital audio recording

Significance

These 13 interviews of farm women were undertaken by Tagen Baker as part of the Invisible Farmer ARC project. A key aim of the ARC project is to redress the absence of rural women in mainstream histories and museums.

As a visiting research associate for Museum Victoria, and a PhD student in Utah State University's Department of Environment and Society, Tagen Baker had the opportunity to explore the diverse landscape of Victoria and interview and photograph women farmers as part of The Invisible Farmer Project-to learn from them about their histories, responses to climate change, and how they adapted their agricultural practices to sustain themselves and their families. Tagen wanted to know how their experiences have been similar or different to women in her home state of Idaho, USA. How have women been key agents of change embedded in their environments? How do women farmers provide unique perspectives and contributions to the futures of agriculture and to their communities?

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