If These Walls Could Talk

If These Walls Could Talk

22 March - 19 May 2025

Sarah Morgan

For over 67 years the Cairns Historical Society has been collecting the social history of Cairns and far north Queensland. Over that time we have built up a unique and rare collection of community resources which reflect the tropical north. At the Cairns Museum, “if these walls could talk” they would have tales to tell about our unique tropical history and local community!

This year the Cairns Historical Society celebrates 45 years since it opened its doors of the Cairns Museum. In celebration of this anniversary, we have curated an exciting volunteer led exhibition in our Ground Floor Gallery. Under the direction of the Cairns Museum, Exhibition’s Curator Sarah Morgan, past and present Board members, staff and volunteer members have selected items for display or reflected on their association with the Cairns Museum.

From the unusual artefact to well-loved objects, this exhibition takes the visitor on a journey of collecting, collections and community. Based on the memories and stories of our member volunteers, favourite objects are on display, especially chosen for this exhibition and treasured for varied reasons. Many significant items in this exhibition are on view for the first time!

The Cairns Museum team had a difficult task to pare down the number of items which could be put on display. The final selection of pieces are diverse in format, topic and item. They range from delicate textiles, original illuminated manuscripts and handmade books, curious hats, un-provenanced objects, tiny furniture, curios and mystery items.

Visitors will be delighted by the variety of items on show. They can expect to read heartfelt reflections from our volunteer members, be able to listen to contemporary digital stories from our guides, view our rare and significant objects and images as well as participate in building the collection by assisting the Society to identify objects, add to stories and continue the tradition of collecting for the future.

We invite you to help celebrate the Museum’s 45th anniversary and add to our collection understanding and knowledge by contributing your ideas and knowledge of the displayed items in the comments box provided.

This is a unique opportunity to view Cairns and far north Queensland’s treasures from the Cairns Historical Society collection. We hope you will enjoy this exhibition and invite you to explore further by visiting our additional stories linked below.

Learn more about If These Walls Could Talk

Favourites from If These Walls Could Talk

Pewter Case and Illuminated Address

Cats and Dogs – All at Sea

A crew sitting on a boat posing for a photo with their ship dogs

Cats and Dogs - All at Sea

8 Nov 2024 - 17 Mar 2025

Curator, Dr Daniela Vavrova

Strathgarry crew 1910s. The captain’s terrier occupies a central place in this crew portrait on the Scottish steamer. The two cats take the back row. Australian National Maritime Museum Collection. Samuel J Hood Studio.

This exhibition is a special treat for you and your animal companions. It is a combination of a touring exhibition, local community engagement and a display from the Cairns Museum collection.

Cats and Dogs — All at Sea is the title of a touring exhibition produced by the Australian National Maritime Museum. It consists of black and white photographs made by the Sydney photographer Samuel Hood who went on board countless ships between 1900 and the 1950s. These carefully selected images show how much pets meant to seafarers in the past. They were trusted companions and protectors. In what were often long-lasting voyages, the animals worked on board exterminating pests but also acting as stress relievers for the crew.

L-R: Scuppers the Seagoose; Billy; Jula.

Pets continue to be valuable companions at sea and stories from the local community and local clubs confirm this. Individual sailors and boat enthusiasts contributed to this exhibition with stories and photographs of their loved animal companions in colour. This includes a long-term pilgrim, Scuppers the Seagoose, of the original HBA82 1939 restored pearling lugger. Among the local clubs are: Cairns Yacht Club, the Sailability group based at the Cairns Yacht Squadron and the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club.

We also have on display a variety of valuable items used on boats from the Cairns Museum collection including the original wheel and communication pipes of the long-serving Triton built in Cairns on the banks of the Barron River. Triton was launched in 1943 as the General MacArthur and saw service as a supply ship in the South Pacific war zone. In later years, she spent 25 years as the Queensland State Government supply ship to the Torres Strait Islands as the MV Melbidir.

L-R: Triton wheel; Ship models made by V B Christensen.

The life ring from the legendary Tropic Seas on display reminds us of the famous crocodile hunter and game identity Vince Vlasoff. This was used for divers to retrieve the anchor and the cannon of Captain Cook’s Endeavour.

We also have the life jacket belonging to Billy — of Beetroot, Billy and Fern fame — a lovely memory of a much loved dog. These items are witnesses to the past and to various life stories. The combination of practical tools and personal items makes an engaging and educational display.

Celebrating animal companions on board improves our understanding of the seafaring lifestyle.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Australian National Maritime Museum for the touring exhibition, the local Cairns clubs, the sailors and their animals.

Beetroot, Billy, Fern with Tess Cooper and Loren Webster; Bessie with James Wighton; Chloe with Shaz and Merv Frewen; Hayley with Suzanne Shannon; Jula with Darren Brice; Kia with Mickey Dousset; Scuppers the Seagoose with Jon and Iris; Shadow with Jenny Mitchell; Tarni with Teresa Di Bella; Wocky with Andrew Marshall

Echo of the Past

historical aerial image of clump point bay and surrounding land

Echo of the Past - Historical photographs from
Mission Beach 1890s-1950s

5 July - 2 November 2024

A collaboration between Cairns Historical Society & Museum and Mission Beach Historical Society

Acknowledge Djiru Traditional Custodians

We acknowledge the Djiru Traditional Custodians of Country around Mission Beach and honour their Elders past and present. We respect the deep enduring connection to their lands, waterways and surrounding clan groups since time immemorial. We cherish the richness of their artistic and cultural expressions. We are privileged, through this exhibition, to have the opportunity to share their knowledge, culture and art now and with future generations.

Disclaimer: First Nations Peoples should be aware that this exhibition contains names and images of deceased people.

Mission Beach is a beachside township 150km south of Cairns in far north Queensland. The town is situated in the wet tropics and set in ancient rainforests, known as Djiru Country.

Mission Beach is steeped in art, culture, and a rich history, which has been contributed to by local indigenous people, timber-getters, coffee, banana and tropical fruit farmers, environmental activism and activists, art and tourism.

Coinciding with the anniversary of the 1918 cyclone, a series of historic photographs (portraits, landscapes, social events and work life scenes), a slide show of photos, videos, Djiru cultural objects, history boards and series of drawings about the Hull River Aboriginal Settlement together with the artefacts from the Cairns Historical Society & Museum collections provide an insight in the diverse early history of Mission Beach.

The display offers a snapshot of an intriguing, beautiful, dynamic frontier region and its people, making the history of Far North Queensland accessible for current and future generations. Through the themes of community, sea and land, the photographs and Djiru cultural objects have been used as points of focus to examine all aspects of Mission Beach history.

Recollections from Djiru people, the first pioneers and later settlers, farmers, attendees at gatherings and war time events allow all visitors to reflect on the past, preserve and enhance important memories and events, and foster and celebrate a sense of identity, diversity and cultural connections between Djiru and the wider community.

Following the displacement of many Djiru in 1918 to Palm Island, Djiru were not welcome to come back to Mission Beach until recently. It seems like a whole page of history has been blanketed or obliterated through massacres, abuse and discrimination. Djiru desperately wanted to tell their side of history and share it with the wider community.

The aim of this exhibition is to tell stories that are relevant and significant to today’s multicultural society and to emphasise the history of the Djiru people with the aim of achieving reconciliation and healing of the past.

Acknowledgements

With thanks to the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation for their philanthropic support. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.

50 Treasures Revisited

Submarine sculpture inspired by crocodile

50 Treasures Revisited

Daniela Vavrova (Cairns Museum Curator) and Bronwyn McBurnie (Manager, Special Collections - JCU Library Services)

24 june – 28 october 2023

(Featured Image): The Investigator (maquette), 1994, by Anton Hasell

JCU Library is fortunate to have collections of unique and rare resources — including artworks — of regional and national significance, describing life in the tropics.

In 2020, James Cook University celebrated its 50th Anniversary. To highlight this milestone, 50 precious treasures were selected from the JCU Library Special Collections and presented in a multimedia exhibition, 50 Treasures — Celebrating 50 Years of James Cook University at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. Accompanying the exhibition were digital versions of each treasure designed to provide an enduring legacy and inspire future generations of researchers.

(L- R): Val Russell’s Sketchbooks, (1969 – 2000); The Movement for Responsible Coastal Development (MRCD) Archive, (1990 – 2016), Woodblocks used for relief printing, from the artist Ben Trupperbaumer.

The genesis for the idea of the 50 Treasures exhibition emerged from Bronwyn McBurnie’s experience working in the JCU Library Special Collections for the past decade, where she had the opportunity to become familiar with the many treasures in the Library’s collections.

Bronwyn has stated, “One of the main reasons for creating the exhibition was our understanding that people continue to have a strong desire to see the real thing even when a digital version is available”.

For 50 Treasures Revisited, the Cairns Museum team has selected 17 treasures which resonate with Far North Queensland and can be accommodated in the Museum’s small gallery spaces. It was a challenging process as there were so many wonderful items which speak to the history of the region. The final selection of treasures is diverse in format and topics. It includes a combination of physical and digital artefacts, among them — original manuscripts (including diaries), artworks, historical sketches, photo albums and three-dimensional objects.

(L-R): The Armorial Ensigns of James Cook University of North Queensland, 1973, by Morris Juppenlatz and F.W. Robinson, with Artists and Scriveners of the College of Arms, London; Goobalathaldin Dick Roughsey, Untitled, (n.d), Bark painting, Mornington Island.

This is a unique opportunity to explore the people, places and events that have shaped the tropical environment in which we live. We hope you enjoy this exhibition and are inspired to explore further by visiting the digital treasures and their stories at NQHeritage@JCU.

Photography by Michael Marzik (2020).

Learn more about 50 Treasure Revisited

Curator’s talk with Bronwyn McBurnie, Manager JCU Library Special Collections.

Watch 50 Treasures Revisited : Celebrating 50 Years of James Cook University

The Orator’s Chair – a chair not to be sat upon!

Growing up in the Tropics

Growing up in the Tropics

Daniela Vavrova and her Team

3 March – 17 June 2023

What are the most significant memories about growing up in the tropics? How do they differ from growing up in other places.

The Cairns Museum presents recollections of childhood through photographs, artefacts, drawings, and smells that characterise the uniqueness of tropical landscape and climate with its beauty and challenges.

Cyclone damage to Port Douglas, 1911.

We sourced the exhibited items from the in-house collection of the museum. It reflects our commitment to preserving the history and memories of the Far North Queensland for the future generations.

“Cairns Museum is all about the local community. It has been established for the community. The stories we tell are a legacy to ensure a better way of life for future generations” – Clive Skarott, President of Cairns Historical Society and Museum.

Machans Beach School Children with School bus before Machans Beach school built, c1949. Donor: Jack Walsh

The exhibition was put together by the museum’s staff and volunteers. It brings together four categories of children’s lives — playing, learning, getting around, and resilience — salient themes showcasing items from our tropical museum collection. We invite you to reflect on your own childhood and connect with the past.

Two vintage cars, Black Downs homestaead, 1925. Donor: Clive Skarott

“I remember my childhood as one great adventure, exploring the swamps and bushland close to the city” – Alan Hudson, 2010, Saturday June 26, The Weekend Post.

“I went to Gordonvale State Rural School … we walked three miles to school into Gordonvale and three miles home every day. Girls learnt to cook and sew and the boys learnt carpentry, woodwork and leatherwork” – Ethel Galletta, 1999: 85, No Place for Snapdragons. Memories of Cairns.

Children in their boat off the Cairns Esplanade, S A Doblo, 1928. Donor: Wilson/Beddoe Family

Beach Couture: A Haute Mess

Marina DeBris (artist and activist) and Daniela Vavrova (curator and anthropologist)

18 November 2022 – 25 February 2023

Photos by Stephen Wong

We don’t know what will remain of us centuries from now but one thing is certain: there will be plastic, lots of plastic.

Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in our oceans and on our shores. Marina DeBris’ Beach Couture: A Haute Mess, is a collection of wearable pieces made from trash collected from the beaches and oceans. It makes visible, in grotesquely amusing fashion, what is often overlooked – but shouldn’t be. Ideally, viewers will be provoked to take some action in their everyday use of plastic items.

“With my work I encourage the viewer to question the use of single use items, and consider ways to reduce waste so it does not end up in our oceans and landfills.”

Photo of the Inconvenience Store above was in Batlow, New South Wales 2022 as part of the Sculpture by the Sea Snowy Valley Art Trail.

Beach Couture: A Haute Mess is a touring exhibition by Marina DeBris, American-born, Sydney-based artivist. Marina began collecting trash during her daily runs on Venice Beach, Los Angeles more than a decade ago, simply in an effort to maintain its beauty. Fuelled by her growing concern for the ocean’s health, she began to turn the trash into art in hope of drawing attention to the alarming developments she was seeing on the beach.

Marina’s works have been exhibited in the US, Japan and Australia. The Cairns Museum are delighted to welcome Marina and Beach Couture to Cairns for the first time, particularly with our strong attachment to the preservation of the Great Barrier Reef here in the Tropical North.

The exhibition invites the viewers to engage with the idea of plasticity of the future. What can we do about the plastic pollution? How do we imagine the future? These ideas are presented at the exhibition and will be discussed at public events. We also ask you to express your ideas about how to imagine the future in a positive outlook. Your ideas will be featured on our social media platforms and in the temporary gallery itself as part of the greater discussion prompted by Marina DeBris’ Beach Couture: A Haute Mess.

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1 X 4

1 X 4
one object / four stories

Suzanne Gibson

Museums use objects to tell stories – but which story and from whose perspective?

1 x 4 was an exhibition first developed by Newcastle Museum back in 2020. We were drawn to it as a creative and open premise for diving into the Cairns Historical Society and the Cairns Museum collection. We saw the premise as a chance to draw on the strengths of the collection as a whole, including material culture, archival and photographic items.

Objects in any collection are acquired for many reasons but the best of them bring with them strong and relevant stories that reveal something of the place we aim to represent. Yet the same objects are usually interpreted in exhibitions on the basis of the one story that fits a broader exhibition theme.

As curators, we start with an idea, then delve into our collections thematically, seeking objects that speak to key themes. When we start with the collection, we are usually drawn to the links between objects that tell a story or demonstrate a theme.

1 x 4 turns the idea on its head.

It features unrelated objects from the Cairns Historical Society collection – objects, photographs and documents – and explores the multiple stories associated with each. In doing so, it puts the exhibition visitor in the curator’s seat. Which story is the most significant? Which reveals the most about this part of far north Queensland? Which do you, the visitor, find most engaging?

The revealing of the curatorial ‘hand’ is further developed in the exhibition concept by the use of in-gallery QR codes, linked to some of the best source material identified during our object research. Not everyone wants to take a deep dive but the codes provide an elegant solution for those that do.

For a Historical Society and Museum with a large legacy collection, most of which has been little researched, 1 x 4 was a perfect platform to drive significance training and exploration. Both myself as curator and the team of curatorial volunteers were able to find objects we were interested in and begin digging.

It has been a rewarding and deeply engaging project. Once again the incredible skills of our staff and volunteer base was revealed. Our Chinese and Japanese speaking team members helped solve the riddle of a WW II ‘Yosegaki Hinomaru’ – good luck flag – that we may now be able to reunite with the family of a fallen soldier. Our ex-planner was able to decipher the purpose of an unusual survey plan in the collection, while our Collections Manager Dr Sandy Robb was able to interpret a Chinese Deity statue that had sat on the shelves for far too long.

For me, chasing the engraver of an exquisite carved teapot has been revealing and challenging. That we have captured fragments of this man’s life, just before he vanished from living memory, reminds me of the value of material culture. As long as his work is in our collection, his revealing life story won’t be forgotten.

Big thanks to Newcastle Museum for their willingness to share their concept with us. When I contacted them to ask if they would mind, their answer was ‘go for it‘! The best of our sector.

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Exhibition Category: Current Exhibitions