What’s your Perth story?

THE Museum of Perth is on the lookout for locals to share personal histories of the city.

Museum chair Reece Harley says they’re “aiming to curate a contemporary oral history of the city, so that in 100 years’ time these videos and transcripts will be fascinating for future historians.

“Part of the purpose is to remind people that they’re surrounded by the future’s history”.

Trevor Hancock is one of the early volunteers for the project. He’s run Trinity Antiques in the CBD for 15 years (it’s been running 35 years), and he’ll be sharing tales about his times in the city and the rarities he comes across in his job.

“I come from Victoria, but I have spotted a real need in this state for what is left of the history to be preserved, and that goes back to simple things like family jewellery that was made in WA,” he says.

“So much of it is sold off at those charlatan gold buyers at shopping centres.”

• Trevor Hancock with a rare silver christening mug which was made by John Welby in Fremantle in 1969. As one of only four pieces known to be left from Welby, Mr Hancock says this is likely to end up in a major museum. He says other important items, particularly jewellery, are all too often discarded in Perth and their historieds lost. Photo by Steve Grant

He says the gold buyers simply send jewellery off to be melted down for the gold value, unaware the history and craftsmanship could mean they’re worth five times as much.

And every little piece has a story behind it. Mr Hancock owns a small silver item called a vinaigrette, about the size of a box of matches.

“You open the lid and it’s got a little grill, and under the grill you put a sea sponge with vinegar and spices.”

The little box tells a story of a time when Perth and Kalgoorlie had open sewers. As the gentry passed the distasteful sewers, they’d hold the vinaigrette to their noses so they wouldn’t have to suffer the smell.

They were more common in England to fend off the stench of the Thames, but here only a few people could ever afford them and very few were made.

“It was made in Fremantle in silver. To our knowledge there are only three surviving Australian ones, and this is the only surviving one from WA.”

He calls items like his 1914 Doig and Horn ring, crafted in Fremantle, “the states’ crown jewels” and hopes to get the message about their historic value out there before more are melted down.

He says “there’s a constant loss of history in this state” and an attitude of throw it away and send it off, and then they bring in new stuff”.

Mr Hancock says future generations will be furious with us.

Mr Harley says people with a cracking story about Perth (and it can be from any era) can get in touch with the museum through http://www.museumofperth.com.au/oralhistories and they’re doing the recordings on June 18, 19, 23 and 24.

by DAVID BELL

Perth Voice Interactive

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