By JESSE GRAHAM
THE history of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station has been brought to the surface via 15 posters that dot the town, telling stories from Healesville’s yesteryears on the front of shops and buildings.
Along with Healesville Indigenous Community Service Association (HICSA)’s Brooke Collins Nicola Stairmand created the series of posters, ‘Coranderrk + Healesville, a shared history’ for National Reconciliation Week.
At the beginning of Reconciliation Week, the 15 posters were erected on shop windows around town, documenting Coranderrk’s history from 1863 and how it intertwined with the formation of Healesville before being closed in 1924.
Ms Stairmand said the positioning of the posters was a deliberate choice, so that visitors and residents would stumble upon them.
“We could have done them in an exhibition at the Memo Hall or done a booklet, but I wanted people to come across history as they were going about daily life – shopping, or visiting, or going for a coffee,” she said.
“This history surrounds us – Don Road is the former boundary of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station, so every time we drive down Don Road, we’re driving down the history of Coranderrk Aboriginal Station.”
The posters feature photographs sourced from the State Library of Victoria, the National Library of Australia and the Healesville and District Historical Society, among other sources.
Each poster covers a theme, such as growing hops at Coranderrk, making bricks and basket weaving, with some featuring interviews with descendants of historical figures.
Ms Stairmand said the idea for the posters “sprang up” from her work in heritage conservation, helping Ms Collins and the organisers for the Coranderrk Festival, and Healesville’s 150th in 2014.
“All of these stories started emerging, and there’s a real synergy between stories of Coranderrk and stories of Healesville – they sort of grew up together,” she said.
“It’s kind of understanding that it’s a history that’s ongoing as well, because so many of the people in the stories still have descendants living in town.”
The posters will be taken down at the end of the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, which runs until Tuesday 14 June, but Ms Stairmand said that a future publication, featuring the information and interviews, might be possible.
Those who missed out on seeing the posters in person will be able to view them at www.coranderrk.com after the physical posters are taken down.
