Month: April 2011

A host of community organisations are holding events over the next few months to acknowledge the 175^th anniversary of the foundation of the Province of South Australia. SA 175 events are listed on the calendar of events on this site. Events listed so far include a performance about writer CJ Dennis, lectures on South Australian history topics, displays and exhibition openings and multi-media events. Industrial history depicted in art, historic fire engines and modern sound and light shows are all on offer for SA175.

The calendar of Events will soon be expanded and community organisations are invited to list any events that connect with South Australian history. Contact community@history.sa.gov.au to have an event added to the Calendar.

 

I have always been fascinated by traditional festivals from around the world so it was a great pleasure to visit the Ukrainian Museum’s Easter Bazaar a few weekends ago in the backstreets of Hindmarsh. The museum was a hive of activity when I arrived at what appeared to be Kiev Central that Sunday morning. Amidst Ukrainian chatter, women in traditionally embroidered cross stitch blouses distributed plates of open sandwiches of herring and salad or ladled bowls of bright purple borsch (beetroot soup).

Irena Boujenko, the President of the Ukrainian Women’s Association enthusiastically gave me a tour of their displays which particularly focus on Ukrainian art and crafts. Many of the handcrafted items – wood carving, ceramics, embroidery and costume (some over 100 years old) – were brought to Adelaide during the two main waves of migration in 1949 and 1992 from this second largest country in Europe.

I was curious to learn what everyone was carrying in plastic bags in baskets or under their arms. The table in the meeting room at the back of the museum was soon laden with these unusually shaped offerings and I discovered that they were the traditional paska, rich sweet Easter bread, decorated with Christian symbols or a rising sun harking back to its pagan origins. More traditional Ukrainian Easter crafts were on display, the results of a recent workshop – embroidered ritual cloths or rushnyky and the world famous decorated Easter eggs or pysanky. Certificates were handed out to all the participants and it is heartening to see how Adelaide’s Ukrainian community are keeping their traditions alive and preserving their history through the museum. I’m certainly looking forward to their About Time History Festival event, a fashion show of traditional costumes and embroidery workshop on Sunday 22 May.

You can see more photos from the Easter Bazaar on here

In 2011 SA History Week has become About Time: South Australia’s History Festival.

Over 500 events will be presented across the state from 1 to 31 May, organised by over 300 community museums, history groups, cultural groups, local councils, collecting institutions, businesses, churches and individuals. The move to a month-long festival format reflects the ongoing growth of the program since it began as SA History Week in 2004. 2011 also marks 175 years since the foundation of the Province of South Australia, and History SA has received a special government grant to run the festival in this anniversary year.

The events offered as part of the program reflect the diversity of South Australia’s history and those who have made it. You can enjoy a dinner at the SA Maritime Museum showcasing ship-board foods from different eras, learn about explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins at an open day at his cottage in Mount Bryan East, take a tour exposing Adelaide’s gritty underbelly at West Terrace Cemetery, participate in an all-day symposium on the archaeology of Aboriginal South Australia, do some hands-on history helping volunteers restore the outback town of Farina, visit an exhibition about the contribution of Hungarians to South Australia’s primary industries, or take the opportunity to share and hear stories of working at GM’s Holden factory at Elizabeth. And that’s only a small sample of what’s on offer!

Visit the About Time website for full details of events and features to help you get the most out of the festival format. You can also follow us on twitter and facebook or upload your photos to Flickr.

The printed program is also available from your local council, library, visitor centre, community museum or history group.

About Time: South Australia’s History Festival is presented by History SA. Contact us on (08) 8203 9888 or abouttime@history.sa.gov.au.