Carnamah-Perenjori meets Andy Warhol

Pop Art artist Andy Warhol once said 'Art is anything you can get away with.'

Items in our Virtual Museum recently received some Pop Art treatment by the Room One students at Perenjori Primary School. As part of their art studies, students selected images from our virtual exhibitions and gave them a whole new look by modifying them with the Photo Funia app.   

To quote their teacher Miss Herbert: "Your virtual exhibitions are just like an online gallery space, so the kids selected the image that caught their eye the most, like what occurs when visiting a physical museum, and then they changed the image to become a work of Pop Art. The class will be repeating the process later in the year when they visit the local museum in Perenjori and digitally photograph items on display that catch their eye."

Below are the students' creations along with a short line on why they chose that particular image. Big thanks to the students at Perenjori for sharing their creations and to Alex White who helped get them to us by email.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because I want to know how it works and what it was used for" - Tyler, from the Before Electricity exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because it has the signatures and is very interesting" - Justice, from the Schools exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because the picture is in Egypt and because it has the Sphinx and a pyramid" - Lachlan, from the First World War exhibition.

"I chose this image because we have been learning about Frank Thomas and because it looks very interesting" - Georgia, from the Bushranger page.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because all the other things I didn't really like. I also like it because I think the colours go well together" - Aimee, from the Business Houses exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because it looks fascinating and it was how diaries were in the olden days" - Chloe, from the Books exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because it has cool patterns. It also has a height difference which makes it look like mixed marbles" - Hiraani. This image comes from the TOYS! exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because Andy Warhol painted soup cans and she looks like she is making soup. I like the fancy colours that the picture has provided and how they are so POPish" - Ariel, from the Books exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because it's dark, mysterious and creepy like the doll. There are different images that show cool different patterns" - Lehyia, from the TOYS! exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because it looks like the rabbit proof fence and its colours are pretty awesome" - Sarai, from the Ready-Made Farms exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because Frank Thomas was really interesting to learn about and I loved the colours that this pop art treatment used" - Tahlia, from the Midland Railway exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because of the collaborative art piece we did of The Bank. I also like the old double doors and the stone carving above the doors" - Alex, from the Business Houses exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because I like woodwork and I want to know how it works" - Jake, from the TOYS! exhibition.

"I chose this virtual exhibition image because I like the plants and I also like the colours" - Orlanda, from the Post Office exhibition.

"I just love the thought of a tiny little train ticket being displayed in a much grander fashion in a gallery" - Miss Herbert, from the MRWA Stations & Sidings page of the Midland Railway exhibition.

You can see all of the original images online at Virtual Museum: to be known and distinguished as Carnamah.

Virtual Museum: Schools

Today there are primary schools in Coorow, Eneabba and Three Springs and a district high school at Carnamah. However, this hasn't always been the case - another eleven schools previously existed within the same geographical area! A new exhibition within our Virtual Museum takes a look at some of these schools and includes some fantastic photos and objects from our museum...

www.carnamah.com.au/schools

Myrtle and Alf Chapman of Glenisla Farm in Winchester on their way to school

Back in 2014 we undertook a public poll of 25 potential online exhibitions that could be added to our Virtual Museum: to be known and distinguished as Carnamah. We've kept the results a secret as we always intended to develop both the top voted themes but also those that received the least votes. We'll share which one this was at a later date!

We'd like to thank the Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) for supporting this project to share and promote more of our museum collection with the broader community.

Carnamah District High School students Aaron Kerr, Darren Tremlett and David Bowman in 1988 at the plaque marking the site of the former Billeroo State School - taken by school bus driver Jeanette Allen

Suite of Australian Curriculum Education Resources

In partnership with Ignite Your Audience we have developed a suite of nine freely downloadable Australian Curriculum education resources. However, they're museum resources with a difference! They can be used with school visits to our physical museum but can also be utilised from classrooms anywhere in Australia with our award-winning virtual museum.

If you're a primary school teacher then we have something for you! Resources from Foundation to Year 6 include an overview for teachers, worksheets, activities, extension ideas and their connections to the Australian Curriculum.

www.carnamah.com.au/education

www.carnamah.com.au/education

We'd like to thank the Western Australian History Foundation and the Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts for their invaluable support of this project. Special thanks are due to Maree Whiteley for her encouragement, Shiona Herbert for her inspirational skill and Salleigh Walters for her worthy contributions.

We'd also like to thank Museums Australia WA, the History Teachers' Association of WA and TeachMeetWA (lots of WA in there!) for allowing us to share and promote our project and its outcomes at conferences, workshops and presentations. If you're a teacher and attending the 2015 HTAWA Conference in Mount Lawley on 28 March, we are taking part in the Show & Tell session at 1:45pm!

Launch of Australian Curriculum resource for Milk Cream & Butter

We launched the first of our Australian Curriculum education resources at the 2013 conference of the History Teachers' Association of Western Australia. Amid champagne flutes of chilled milk and gifts of butter we unveiled the education resource that accompanies the Milk Cream & Butter virtual exhibition on our website.

The first resource, and another eight which are on the way, provide information, activities and worksheets for teachers that can be used from the classroom with content on our website. This makes them useful for schools located anywhere in Australia! They are mostly suitable for lower primary years and directly connect to the new Australian Curriculum. The resource can be previewed or downloaded in full from:

www.carnamah.com.au/education

Please register your name and e-mail address if you'd like to be updated when we add new resource packs. If you use our Milk Cream & Butter resource we'd appreciate your anonymous feedback via our very short feedback form. We'd also love to share any work created by your students here on our blog - simply e-mail copies and some info to andrew@carnamah.com.au.

As an aside, we surveyed some of the attendees on their favourite flavoured milk. Chocolate, coffee and banana were the stand-outs with appearances of caramel, strawberry, skim, vanilla and good old plan milk. Our thanks to all of those who attended our session and to Maree Whiteley who spurred this project on with a comment on our Facebook wall back in April 2012.

Our Milk, Cream & Butter resource was made by Ignite Your Audience for and in partnership with the Carnamah Historical Society. It was possible thanks to support from the Western Australian History Foundation.

Letter from Neil Grosvenor of the Dudawa State School in 1938

In 1938 Neil Grosvenor was the teacher of the small one-teacher school at Dudawa, East Arrino in the Three Springs district. Neil's daughter Lee Evans has kindly provided us with a copy of a letter he wrote from Dudawa to his mother on 14 February 1938. It provides a nice summary of his initial impressions and a sketch of the schoolhouse.

Dear Ma,

      Your letter came on Saturday night. Stokeses, who live opposite, bring out things for us whenever they go to town, and don’t seem to mind. They’re very amiable people and a happy family, so we shouldn't disagree with them.

      Living should be somewhat cheaper here than in Buntine. We've been getting 2 quarts of milk per day (none on Sundays) and it will cost us only 2/6 per week. The Bowtell family returned today and will supply meat at 6d. per lb. They kill sheep, pigs and cattle and are said to be great flesh eaters. The stove here is a [Metters] No. 2 and cooks well - and there seems to be some firewood available within easy distance of home. So far I've just collected dead jam sticks up to 2 inches in diameter.

      The soil is the usual brown clayey business, but isn't as hard as at Buntine or Wamenusking. I’ll be able to start a garden as soon as rain arrives, but the tanks have to be kept for domestic use till then. On the back verandah is a potato creeper on wire netting and I've made a netting roof about 12ft x 10ft out to one corner of the wash house. The creeper is said to grow very quickly and should cover the netting within a year. I've drawn a plan including doors windows etc. South of us is a dam reserve, the dam being about 100 yds to the east. Between us it are York Gums and jam trees growing fairly thickly. There’s a well and windmill west of the school, but the water there is brackish. Stokeses’ house is about 30 yards NE of ours.

      The temperature has been going down gradually and the last 5 days have been 91, 93, 94, 91, 86. at present (10 p.m.) its quite cold, but we have to stay up a little longer as Cath is making bread. With luck we can keep going with the shop bread, but it’s not worthwhile getting more than 3 loaves at a time.

     I don’t think it’s any advantage for Babs to matriculate. The only use of that is as an entrance to the Uni and if she’s joining there she might as well take the Leaving in the ordinary way.

     My watch hasn't yet arrived. Will you ask Girlie to give the man a reminder? He seems very casual.

     I don’t think I told you that Jean Sheppard, my sewing mistress, is a niece of your milkman. The Sheppards here know Fremantle very well, and people such as Doigs.

      Also the Townsend who was the Storekeeper at Arrino according to the directory is Harry Townsend, now of the Newmarket Hotel. He was in Arrino about 4 years, according to information. I didn't know he’d been out of Fremantle for as long as that. He must have made a profit out of the store to have got a pub and Don Sebastian.

     Thursday. We've had mail and papers out since I started this, but no watch has come. Nor
has the February Circular, Calendar and Grouping Scheme Form, which usually arrive early in
the month. Evidently there’s no inspector for this district until a Director is appointed, which may mean that we’ll get Sampson if he slips for the Directors job. He’ll do me.

      Ask Arthur to take the Charities ticket for me and if amiable - Elanage to save the other bet. Amiable is God.

Further information on the Grosvenor, Stokes, Bowtell, Sheppard, Townsend and other families of Dudawa, Arrino and Three Springs can be found within the Three Springs Database on our website.

Centenary of the Perenjori State School

In 1911 agricultural settlement began in a new district east of Carnamah which became known as Perenjori. Prior to being connected by rail the best way to get to Perenjori was by the Midland Railway to Carnamah and then inland by road to Perenjori. For this reason the Perenjori settlers initially gave their addresses as Perenjori via Carnamah. These settlers were soon desirous of securing a state school for their children.

Perenjori celebrated its school's centenary and its district now being over 100 years old over the weekend of 29-30 September 2012. The below images show some of the initial correspondence which eventually led to the establishment of the Perenjori State School in 1912.

The first piece of correspondence in the official file relating to the school's establishment.
State Records Office of WA: Perenjori - Establishment, Item 1911/3896, Consignment 1653.
transcription below...

Education Department
Halsbury Chambers, Howard Street, Perth
July 19, 1911

MEMO

A deputation consisting of Mr S. F. Moore, M.L.A., and Messrs Wittman, Wyatt, and Fullerton saw me with with reference to the establishment of a school at Perenjori, 40 miles N. E. of Carnamah and 60 miles north of Dalwallinu. The district is scattered, but it appears that they have 18 children within a radius of 5 miles. I have them a form of application for the establishment of a school, and also the regulations re children riding and driving to school, and the regulations re S. P. D. schools. Any correspondence on the matter should be addressed to Mr C. L. Wittman, Perenjori, via Carnamah, Midland Railway. Jas. P. Walton, Acting Inspector General of Schools.

From The Western Mail newspaper, Friday 1 November 1912

The school opened ten days after the above article - on 11 November 1912. The first teacher was Mrs Florence L. England whose husband had taken up prospective farmland.