Historical information
This is the story of the women of the bush, women who performed more than the traditional duties of wife and mother. They worked alongside their men, through good/times and bad and they were rare to complain. Six former country women of the Portland/Heywood district provide us with a snapshot of life as it was from the 1920's through to the 1960's. They speak about their own and their mother's lives, lives which have experienced the greatest material and personal changes in history. The story of the 'Remarkable Mary Stuchbery' details the struggles of a wife and family whose husband/father contracted polio shortly after returning from WWII service.
Garry Kerr has produced a series of local history stories, initially for the Heywood [history group] and more recent items privately.
Significance
The material contained in these interviews provides a first-hand insight into the experiences of women who were involved in carving farms from virgin bush. Their recollections of work, social activities and opportunities for their children are an invaluable primary source.
Physical description
Full colour DVD cover featuring image of old hip-roof weatherboard house with front verandah and skillion roof to rear with stone chimney attached to outside. Corrugated iron roof is rusty. To the left is an outbuilding. Picket and wire fencing is in the foreground, background has large cypress tree to left and gum to right. At the bottom is a series of three black and white images showing (L-R) three women in working clothes and a woman holding a baby; woman chopping wood; woman milking cow with young boy standing beside her.
The back cover is yellow with images of the seven women featured showing coloured images of the interviewees beside black and white images of the interviewees when young.
DVD features the same images as the front cover.
Inscriptions & markings
Garry Kerr's LOCAL HISTORY Series 5/On Our Selection/The/Women's/Story/Produced by Garry Kerr (front)
WOMEN WERE THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE BUSH/This is the story of the women of the bush [see historical information] ...
Running time 74 minutes/Plus an additional 30 minutes of/'The Remarkable Mary Stuchbery'
