Extending Storyplace: Port Macquarie Museum
From the opalised fossils of Yuwaalaraay Country and the fishing nets woven by the Birpai women of Guruk to the black and white photographs displayed on museum walls — objects hold multiple stories.
Looking to regional New South Wales and how communities and histories shape place, Powerhouse x Museums & Galleries NSW: Extending Storyplace encourages us to think about the intricacies of story and its keepers; what museums collect and how; and the development of story exchange in the digital world.
For Extending Storyplace: Port Macquarie Museum, Dr Aunty Rhonda Radley (Birrbay Dhanggati) and Trish McInherny (Birpai Thungutti) share Birpai culture and stories not held in Powerhouse or Port Macquarie Museum collections.
Their works amplify Birpai histories and preserve them in our communities and museums for future generations.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences are advised this story reflects on colonial violence inflicted upon Aboriginal people and contains the names of deceased persons.
‘Blackmans Point (southern side) is a place I lived with my mob. All the children were brought up gathering and eating fish, crabs and oysters from the river. ’
We lived on the banks of Fernbank Creek that flowed into the Dungang, ‘Hastings River’. There was an abundance of wildlife, and it was a place of play, adventure and connection.
