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You are receiving this e-newsletter because you’re either connected to the activities of the State Library of WA Foundation or you’ve subscribed to receive our newsletter.

Great news - donations to the On the Homefront appeal have been steadily increasing. Our aim is to ensure the survival of important Western Australian World War 1 records held in the State Library of Western Australia archives. These include news from the ANZAC battlefields, personal diaries and letters, and local newspapers from this period.

Once digitised these items will be available online on the National Library's Trove platform. Then you will be able to search their pages and connect with your family history. 

Your donations will help us to:

• Enable conservation, preservation and a digital copy of a handwritten letter
• Digitise one edition of a regional newspaper 
• Digitise a diary written by a soldier serving on the front line

Donate now  

In the collection are poignant reminders of the ANZAC battlefields. Embroidered cards were sent by soldiers from France and Belgium during WWI to their loved ones here at home. They demonstrate humanity within the theatre of war. 

[Image: Front of a postcard embroidered with the badge of the Royal Artillery surmounted by a British and a French flag, 1916-18. BA703. Reproduced courtesy of State Library WA]

Meanwhile the Avon Gazette on July 22, 1916 breathlessly reports the latest fashion tips …

“The latest and most exclusive wear for ladies is black silk stockings embroidered with snakes and lizards of vivid green.  Another tip is to wear a black stocking and white kid boot on one foot and black patent leather shoe on the other foot”.

It’s records like these that reveal the richness and diversity of social change across the decades that has formed our Western Australian culture. Don't let your stories fade away.

Take a look at the collection of local newspapers, diaries and personal correspondence that we will be digitising here. You might find a connection with your family's past.  Then please make your donation to help get this collection digitised.

With your help we can make sure that even more stories are revealed and put onto Trove for everyone to enjoy and investigate.

Donate now

Winston Churchill said:
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

We are very excited to announce that the State Library Foundation is a finalist in the prestigious Museums and Galleries National Awards (MAGNA). The Award is being presented at the Museums Australia National Conference in Sydney at the end of May.  The Award celebrates the Foundation’s achievement in developing both the virtual exhibition of the Freycinet Collection online together with a comprehensive education package for schools.  Congratulations to the amazing work by our team member Andrew Bowman-Bright, Consultant, Dr Elizabeth Gralton and education guru, Shiona Herbert from Inspire Your Audience. Click on the Frecyinet image to find out more.

Exhibition: "Missing Lives" Saturday, 20 May to 30 June, The Nook, Ground Floor. An exhibition by photojournalist Nick Danziger. Presented by the International Committee of the Red Cross. The tragedy of war and separation are powerful realities revealed in a photographic exhibition by award winning British photojournalist, Nick Danziger. 

Lunchtime Talks: "Missing Lives"  12.30-1pm. 
Wednesdays 27 May and 17 June, in The Nook, Ground Floor. 
[Image: Reproduced with permission.Copyright Nick Danziger.No unauthorised use or copying without permission.]

Exhibition: A Backwards Glance: Western Australian New Music 1970-2015: Tuesday 20 May to Tuesday 2 June 2015, State Library Foyer, Ground Floor. This exhibition provides an insight into the history of new music in Western Australia, featuring visual new music scores, event posters and a collection of ruined pianos.  For further information contact:  Adam Trainer on info@slwa.wa.gov.au or 9427 3111

Exhibition: Bounce Down: Women's Australian Rules Football Centenary
Friday 22 May - 31 July 2015, Ground Floor Gallery.
Bounce Down explores the 100 year history of women’s Australian Rules football in Western Australia and beyond.  Beginning in Perth in 1915 the women’s game started as a war time fundraiser. By 1955 women’s games had been played in more than 100 locations around the country. Today player numbers are among 170,000.

Visit the State Library website for more details.

[Image: Foy and Gibson's women's football team, 1917, 004998D. Reproduced courtesy of State Library WA] 

Professor Ian Reid is the proud recipient of the James Sykes Battye Memorial Fellowship for 2015. 

One of 16 applicants, Prof Reid’s project ‘History's Grist and Fiction's Mill’ will explore the challenges and opportunities for creative writers who blend imagination with fact when evoking times past.

We look forward to following Professor Reid’s project with interest.

Enrich your life and that of your fellow Western Australians by donating to the State Library of WA Foundation.  Your donation will ensure that our library and its precious collections will live forever.

Donating is easy and there are options.  You can donate through our website. Simply click on the DONATE button in the top right corner to access the secure online form.  There are drop down options so you can select the appeals you want to support.

You can help the Foundation and the State Library by forwarding this mobile friendly newsletter to your friends, family and colleagues.  You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter - where you will see more gems from the On the Homefront appeal. Simply click on the icons below.

Subscribe to our e-newsletter – this is a great way to stay connected - and will save paper! We will send you updates on the Foundation’s and the State Library’s activities every few weeks. 

Do we have your correct contact details? If you have moved or we have your details incorrectly noted please let us know via email as soon as possible – your information is safe with us.

To all our readers, supporters and donors – we can’t thank you enough for being a part of the Foundation’s and State Library’s activities.

And if you have recently donated may we warmly thank you for your support.
Best wishes

Jane King
Executive Director
State Library of WA Foundation 

P.S. Donate now to the On the Homefront appeal. The collection of personal documents and newspapers will bring to life the stories of family, community and our heritage for generations to come.
Donate before the end of June and receive a tax receipt.