Historical information

'Harcourt Speaks' represents the collaboration of a group of local orchardists, farmers, growers and local community who worked together to gather photos and stories of strength, cohesion and innovation around the impact of relentless drought and changing climatic conditions. This was a drought assistance project supported by the Mount Alexander Shire Council and the Victorian Government Dept of Community Planning and Development.Project Facilitator was Phillippa Gregory and Photography Community Development was provided by Deanna Neville.

Significance

Provides a cross-section of the working adults of a rural community as they faced the grim reality of extended drought with attendant restrictions on the use of irrigation water and the consequent near disastrous impact on horticulture in this famed horticultural valley. Each photo has a brief story attached. The captions tell how this community responded by acceptance and innovation, using words like "we adapted' 'we were innovative' 'new directions chosen' 'resilience' 'optimistic'.This project is significant in that it depicts a community that, faced with real adversity, was not weakly submissive, nor crushed, but made the best of it.It has significance as an example of a creative response to a prolonged negative situation

Physical description

Sixteen page, spiral bound, A4 'landscape'book with coloured title page, with 31 coloured photographs.

Inscriptions & markings

Harcourt Speaks