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Exhibition captures the end of an era on lakes
Sale Botanic Gardens.
Tours of Sale Botanic Gardens this month
An exhibition on the now-defunct Gippsland Lakes commercial fisheries has won a history award. Pictured, the fishermen manually pulling the nets in to tunnel the fish into the “sock”, the part of the net where the fish are finally caught. Photo: Donna Squire A GIPPSLAND Lakes-themed exhibition has won a Victorian Community History Award for oral history. The exhibition, titled ‘End of an Era’, is a living memory exhibition highlighting Victoria’s fishing industry and focused on the Gippsland Lakes commercial fishery, which was Victoria’s second last bay and estuarine fishery when it closed last year. The closure of the Gippsland Lakes fishery came as part of the Victorian state government’s Target One Million policy, which involves increasing annual recreational fishing to one million participants.
Photo: Jessica Kerr
Despite their best efforts, commercial fishermen in Gippsland were unable to convince the government that the commercial and recreational fishing industries could co-exist and seafood resources could be managed sustainably for the benefit of everyone, including consumers. In the year before its closure, oral histories were recorded and photos taken of local fisherman as they went about their final year of work. The exhibition was a rare insight into the lives of fishing families, their stories and connection to land and sea, and an even rarer historical capturing
of an industry before it closed, rather than piecing together the past after the fact. Support for the project came from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Deakin University, the National Library of Australia, the University of Melbourne and the City of Melbourne. It had a showing in Melbourne before Easter, at Lakes Entrance in Gippsland during Easter and at Deakin’s Waterfront Campus in Geelong in May. The project lead out of Deakin University was an anthropologist from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dr Tanya King.
FRIENDS of Sale Botanic Gardens will be providing free, pop-up guided tours of the Sale Botanic Gardens this month throughout the Archibald Prize exhibition at Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale. The volunteer group says it is the perfect opportunity to learn more about one of the most special assets in the community with one of the group’s friendly tour leaders. Tours will be conducted on Thursdays from 10am until November 18, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm until November 21. Bookings are essential and subject to current COVID restrictions. To secure a place, phone Heather on 0413 919 537.
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Sale Rotary youth leadership conference
It combines leadership development and vocational training to help young people discover their potential and hone skills. There are in-classroom theory activities and outdoor practical activities. The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards will be held from January 17 to 22 at Rawson Village. Applications are open for participants until November 30. Full sponsorship is available for successful applicants. For more information or to express interest, email Sale Rotary’s youth director Lisa Burgess on lpburgess@bigpond.com Alternatively, visit www.facebook.com/ryla9820 or www.9810rotary.org.au/Page/ryla, or email ryla98210@gmail.com
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APPLICATIONS are now open for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Sale Rotary Club is seeking inspirational young people from the local community to sponsor to attend awards next year. The awards are a transformational leadership conference for 18 to 30-year-olds, which focus on developing young leaders who celebrate diversity, create sustainable change, and become service-minded global citizens. The conference provides personal development, leadership, and teamwork, conflict resolution strategies, leadership training, professional development and connects participants with opportunities to serve the community through Rotary.
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Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 9 November, 2021 – Page 13
