Perth Voice Interactive

HISTORICAL tapestries depicted 240 years of Quaker history in Australia are going on display at Quaker Meeting House in Mt Lawley.

The Quakers separated from the Church of England in the mid-1600s and are marked by their strong pro-peace stance and emphasis on worldly works.

They have a long tradition of tapestry, with one of the most notable the 77-panel “Quaker Tapestry” housed in Cumbria, England, depicting the history of the Quakers going back to the 17th century.

In 2005 Aussie Quaker Verley Kelliher visited the Cumbria tapestry and brought back an idea for a locally stitched version.

The local panels are a work in progress depicting Quaker history in Australia since 1770, when Quaker Sydney Parkinson came over on Captain Cook’s expedition as a botanical artist.

The panels (and woodwork by artist Geoff Roy) are on display October 16 from 2pm at Quaker Meeting House, 35 Clifton Crescent.

by DAVID BELL