At the Flick of a Switch
The exhibition At
the Flick of a Switch is the first project to emanate
from a Sister Museum Agreement, which was signed by Longreach
Shire Powerhouse Museum (LPM) and Queensland Energy Museum
(QEM) in April 2005.
The
official opening was held at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum
in Longreach on Friday, 3 March 2006. The Mayor of Longreach,
Councillor Pat Tanks, the Museum Administration Officer for
the LPM, Gary Deakin and QEM's Director, Dr. Jan King launched
the exhibition and all acknowledged the value of the Sister
Museum Agreement for both museums.
The
month of March was chosen to launch the new exhibition to
celebrate National Women's History Month, which is an initiative
of the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW).
The
exhibition will remain on display at the gallery in the Qantas
Museum for the remainder of March. During April, the exhibition
will be displayed at the LPM, Swan Street , Longreach. Following
the Easter break, the exhibition will pass to interested schools
and communities in the Longreach and surrounding shires before
coming to Brisbane in 2007.
We
will be adding more stories related to At the Flick of
a Switch on the Memories of Energy (MEGs) page for Longreach
later this year. Further joint projects between QEM and the
LPM are planned for the future under the Sister Museum Agreement.
The Exhibition's
Content
Oral
histories collected from women in Longreach and the surrounding
rural areas are intertwined with images and documents from
the historical collections of the LPM and QEM.
Additional
text provides the contextual background to the introduction
of electricity into rural homes in Queensland and the array
of electrical appliances, which then became more widely available
and affordable.
While
most of the stories deal with the period immediately after
the Second World War, a selection highlights events occurring
less than ten years ago. Some of the women talk about the
struggles faced before the availability of a regular supply
of electricity. Other memories illustrate the joy experienced,
particularly by those women on remote rural properties, when
they were able to have electricity ‘at the flick of a switch'
and purchase new electrical appliances for the home to lighten
the load of household chores. There are also memories from
the women relating to the powerhouse at Longreach.
View the Exhibition
Images
View the Exhibition
Launch
The history of the
Longreach Powerhouse [click
here]
The Women's Stories
We
are indebted to the women of Longreach and surrounding areas
for their memories. A selection of the oral history collected
from the women follows.
P.T.
Joan
Eva
Beryl
Valerie
Rachael
Shirley
Jane
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