Women farmers take centre stage in new exhibition

In 1994, women farmers do not exist. They were classified as "domestics", "helpmates", or "farmers’ wives" in the Australian census. But in fact, women have always played a crucial role on farms and contributed to the success of farming operations, no matter how big or small.

A new exhibition by Museums Victoria titled 'Women of the Land' is bringing that very fact to light, showcasing a variety of objects, images and audio-visual that tells of how women farmers have defied odds, stereotypes and ignorance to stand tall among their male peers.

The exhibition was a collaborative effort between Museums Victoria, Her Place Women’s Museum Australia and the Invisible Farmer Project.

It was officially launched on October 13 at the Melbourne Museum, right before International Day of Rural Women on Sunday, October 15, and will run until November 26.

Among the exhibit is a hat owned by Heather Mitchell, the first female president of Victorian Farmers Federation. Mitchell’s hat, studded with 40 pins representing the community organisations that hold rural communities together, is the first object collected by Museums Victoria’s Invisible Farmer Project collection.

There are also audio visual stories of contemporary farming women collected by the Invisible Farmer Project and stories of women who have made a significant impact, including poultry farmer and CFA volunteer Pat Bigham; late botanist and ecologist, Maisie Carr; farmer and agricultural mentor, Val Lang AM, and Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung Senior Elder, Aunty Fay Carter.

“Each of these women has lived their commitment to the land and the communities who rely upon it. Too often, the contribution of women to the land has been ignored or disregarded,” said Mary Stuart, who chairs Her Place Women’s Museum Australia.

“In Australia, there are more statues to animals than to real women. Women of the land shouldn’t have to sit on a tucker box to get noticed.”

The Invisible Farmer Project was launched in March 2017, and is the largest ever study of Australian women in agriculture.

Curators Liza Dale-Hallett and Catherine Forge have been working towards uncovering and documenting the stories of Australian farm women through interviews, photographs and social media campaigns inviting women to partake in the history-making process.

“The stories of Australian farm women have always existed but they haven’t always been recorded in official documentation or celebrated in the public eye,” said Forge.

“Through this project we are asking women to step forward into the spotlight, to have their stories recorded for posterity, and to share their reflections on what it means to be a female farmer in the 21st century."

One of the stories told through the project is that of dairy farmer Sallie Jones, who co-founded the Gippsland Jersey milk brand.

Jones, who was at the launch event to tell her story personally, said a family tragedy changed her life and career forever.

“In March 2016, my strong, beautiful, capable father took his own life on our farm after battling mental illness,” she said.

“It was on that day, in my brokenness that I realised that I was stepping up. This is what took me on my journey to co-founding a milk brand called Gippsland Jersey.”

She said the brand of milk stands for three things: Fair price for farmers, smashing the mental health stigma, and kindness.

“I can just imagine my dad standing right here, with a huge grin on his face because he’ll be so proud,” she said.

“Farm women stories have not always been recognised or celebrated, or maybe their voices may not have been heard due to impostor syndrome, or they’re feeling unworthy or like they aren’t a farmer because they’re not necessarily the ones out milking cows every day.

“But these stories are so important because they show us what women are doing in their communities, and how they’re tackling major issues such as consumer awareness, mental health, and sustainability.”

Museums Victoria CEO, Lynley Marshall said the organisation was delighted to be working closely with Her Place Women’s Museum Australia and the Invisible Farmer Project to tell women’s stories.

“Museums Victoria has an important role to play in filling in the gaps in Australian history and telling untold stories," she said.

"Women of the Land is a wonderful example of an unacknowledged but important part of the Victorian community.”

Women of the Land exhibition

Admission: Adult Ticket (aged 16 and over) -$14, children (aged 3-16) - Free

Opening times: 10am to 5pm everyday