Exhibition: Food Bowl Farming, Migrants and Food Production in the Hawkesbury District 1794-1994

The Hawkesbury Regional Museum has a new exhibition, Food Bowl Farming: Migrants and Food Production in the Hawkesbury District 1794-1994.

Curated by Dr Kate Gahan and Rebecca Turnbull the exhibition explores the rich history of migrant food production in the Hawkesbury area, showcasing an array of objects and photographs related to the district as well as original film footage from the Hawkesbury Agricultural College and insightful oral histories from local migrant farmers.

The main themes focus specifically on the establishment of the Hawkesbury as a community and incorporates where possible, the history of the indigenous people who lived in the region prior to European settlement. Focusing on the river, its uses and the vital part it played in providing fertile and arable land for growing food crops, this exhibition tells of the importance of the region, not only to the lives of local inhabitants but of those living in settlements further afield. Through the establishment of towns, and the subsequent creation of communities within those towns, people are brought together, be it in the town square, market place, at school or in church. As such, we see evidence of the contribution that people make to the building of a community.