Winner
City of Gosnells Ghost Walks
The City of Gosnells Ghost Walks takes participants on an inclusive, immersive, performance-based experience. It shows sites of local and state heritage significance and tells the true stories of the area's early European settlers in an innovative and entertaining way.
Held over three nights in summer, the Ghost Walks is a highlight of the City’s events calendar, attracting 100 visitors a night from across Perth and farther afield.
The history of ‘The Canning’, as the area was first known, and the stories of the first European settlers are told from the perspective of the people themselves in an artistic and engaging manner. ‘Ghosts’ tell their stories at three sites of local and state heritage significance.
Interpretation is provided by 12 ‘ghost’ actors who represent historical characters of some of the area’s early settlers. This immersive form of interpretation provides an inclusive and entertaining means of engaging people in the history and heritage of the area.
Commendation
The Private Life of a War Memorial
The Private Life of a War Memorial follows three generations of women who lived in and cared for ANZAC Cottage in Mount Hawthorn, the unique Western Australian memorial that commemorates the carnage and sacrifice of the World War 1 Gallipoli Campaign.
It was the first war memorial in Western Australia, built as a home not for an officer but for a humble private. It was designed by an architect and built in one day by community volunteers who donated their time, skills, money and materials.
The Private Life of a War Memorial is the first documentary film showing the intangible heritage and spirit of dedication of the community and the women who lived in and continue to care for it. It offers audiences and visitors a glimpse into the ‘sense of place’ and compelling emotional connections that continue to exist more than a century later.
This fresh narrative reminds audiences that war and its damage are not only on the battlefield. They always encompass families and communities. The film takes viewers on an unusual journey through this unique Western Australian site and, in the process, asks questions about the gendered interpretation of the ANZAC story and its relevance to new generations.
Finalist
Beneath the Bitumen: Discoveries from the Chinese Cemetery, East Perth
Through its heritage places, the National Trust of Western Australia offers unique, authentic and powerful experiences.
‘Beneath the Bitumen: Discoveries from the Chinese Cemetery, East Perth’ was a small, temporary exhibition focussed on the archaeological discoveries made during the 2020 excavation of the former Chinese Cemetery.
An extensive quantity of archaeological material was uncovered with the most outstanding being a remarkably well-preserved and exceedingly rare jacket, associated with the burial of a Chinese man and dated between 1888 and 1889.
Curated by the National Trust, the exhibition involved the Chung Wah Association, which reviewed the content in relation to culturally appropriate practices and beliefs, for translation into Chinese and for the graphic design. Those involved had an immense sense of pride attached to the acknowledgement of the impact and contributions of their predecessors to the state’s history.
The project underscores the successful collaboration between the National Trust of Western Australia and an inclusive, community-based organisation whose work was underpinned by solid research, innovation and professionalism.
