The Campbell Epergne

When I visited the Orange Regional Museum a couple of years ago, I was struck by this decorative table piece (not literally - it was displayed behind glass). I read that the national Cultural Heritage Account had assisted the museum with the purchase of this item to the tune of $90,000. I thought that was a fair whack for a candlestick, so I read all the information about it - turns out it is quite the icon, so here are the facts, as presented by the museum.

"This sterling silver epergne was presented to David and Amelia Campbell of Goimbla, Eugowra in 1864 by residents of the district to mark their respect and admiration for her role in defending her family's property. The gift was in recognition of the heroism shown by Mrs Campbell and her husband in resisting an attack on their property Goimbla by Ben Hall, Johnny Gilbert, and John O'Meally. The bushrangers attacked the property and set the Campbell's barn and stables on fire. O'Meally was killed in the attack.

The epergne is a decorative table centrepiece which stands 72cm high and was made in London in 1862 by Thomas Smily. The epergne was purchased from Hardy Brothers Sydney for £150 with funds raised by community subscriptions. Modelled in a rococo revival style, the epergne has a tri-form base with leaf feet, scrolls and beading, rising to a naturalistic trunk with six scrolling arms, three with candle fittings and three supporting loop-handled baskets with a centre basket. The entire epergne is ornately decorated with vines and grapes.

Although the inscription is to both David and Amelia Campbell, contemporary accounts of the presentation event describe Mr Campbell being given a gold watch, now in the State Library of NSW, while the epergne was a gift to Mrs Campbell along with a silver-plated coffee urn inscribed by the ladies of Upper and Middle Adelong, and a printed silk address signed by 92 male residents of Forbes and District. The presentation of these lavish gifts was made at Goimbla in October 1864.

David and Amelia Campbell (taken from a lantern slide: National Museum of Australia)

Approximately 16 gold and silver bushranger medals were presented to police and members of the public to mark their heroism during encounters with bushrangers. This is the only presentation-epergne associated with bushranger attacks and the only presentation made to a woman. Its delicacy of design and execution has a particularly feminine character. 

Amelia Campbell was lauded as a 'daughter of Australia - a lady brought up and educated in Sydney who did not flinch under gunfire.'

Her heroism is emblematic of the often-overlooked dangers of many women living on lonely farms in regional Australia. Sadly, other women who stood their ground and fended off attacks by bushrangers received little public recognition. This epergne represents an important aspect of Australian colonial history and is one of the most notable and significant items of nineteenth-century Australian women's history."

From the 1840s attacks by bushrangers and acts of resistance prompted public recognition in the form of testimonial gifts. In addition to cash gifts as compensation for property losses, presentation items included watches, gold medals, firearms, and written testimonials. 

The attack on Goimbla and Mrs Campbell's courage in particular marked a turning point in public sentiment towards the Ben Hall gang, who had until then received covert support from some settlers through the exchange of horses and food. The bushrangers' decision to shoot at Amelia Campbell was likely a major factor in undermining whatever trust or passive support existed for the gang. 

In 1865 the Felons Apprehension Act effectively declared bushrangers outlaws and shortly afterwards Ben Hall was shot dead. 

Ben Hall 

As for Amelia Campbell, she died in childbirth at the age of 34 along with one of the twins she had given birth to. The notes in the museum record that 'The other twin lived only for a few months. This followed her losing a son at ten years of age. This was a very sad end for a very heroic woman.'

I feel this is the purpose of museums: to tell stories through objects and relate the history of past events to the current perception of the society.

Paddock to Plate: Orange Regional Museum

On a trip to Orange, when Him Outdoors was busy competing in a cycling race, I went to the regional art gallery and museum. Their exhibition was Paddock to Plate: a history of food and wine in Orange and the district.

While it did pretty much what you would expect - using historic objects and photographs to illustrate how growing, processing, distribution and consumption of food has changed over time - it was curated in an interesting and interactive fashion, encouraging visitors to learn more about the stories of the people of the region. The exhibition starts with the mountain, an ancient volcano, which created the soils and climate that attracted indigenous people, then others from across the world. 

Stories about producing, processing and forces of change run around the perimeter walls, giving space for large farming objects and showcases containing smaller artefacts. A range of farming tools is mounted on simple white backing boards, so the timelessly beautiful shapes of these objects can be clearly seen. 

Curator Sandra McEwan and the museum team assembled an impressive trove of over 200 historic from around the Orange region with enormous variety of size and scale. Ploughs, refrigerators and a rare wheat flail join whisks, butter pats and dainty mementos of dining in a bygone era. 

Central to the exhibition was the concept of food in the home, and this was represented through a stylised 'kitchen' displaying utensils in a pigeonhole format that echoes kitchen cupboards. Some of these cupboards are see-through, and others have solid doors. Each door has a single word printed on the face giving a clue to the use of the object inside, such as grind, whip, cut, beat, squeeze, shape, lift, protect and hold, which sounds either like cookery, cosmetic surgery or a particularly violent poker game.  

A dining table is covered in a series of projections showing changing styles and tastes of home eating from the 1800s to today. One table features a display of seeds and legumes as in a curiosity cabinet, including wheat, wattle, apple, pumpkin, hazelnut, cucumber, kurrajong and kangaroo grass. 

Paddock to Plate tells the story of food and wine production in this beautiful district through the stories of people, place and a passion for produce. Lists of words always inspire poetry in me, so naturally I took myself to the café where I had coffee and cake and thought of my domestic culinary memories.

Pitter patter of kitchen helper;

patty cake with butter pat,

licking clean the whisk and spoon

with mother in the warmest room:

better batter on baking day.