Celebrating National Volunteer Week and coinciding with ‘Changing Times: Posters from the Stuart E Fraser Collection’, this year’s Sylvia and Jeffory Mander Memorial Lecture focuses on the key theme of political messaging.
All governments communicate with their people. These posters selected from La Trobe University’s Stuart E Fraser Collection offer a fascinating glimpse of Chinese Government propaganda from the 1960s to the 1980s. Today, political communication is harder than ever. As autocratic states like China struggle to maintain message control in a globalised and digitised world, liberal democracies such as Australia also struggle to protect their own political discourse from the scourge of mis- and disinformation.
In this lecture, The Hon. John Brumby AO will reflect on his own experiences of political communication, the difficulties for governments trying to get their message across in the face of social media and AI, and the importance of public trust in a changing and challenging world.
Sylvia and Jeffory Mander were a local Bendigo couple who gave decades of volunteer support to the Museum. Since 2022 when the the Sylvia and Jeffory Mander Memorial Lecture was established, the Museum has invited a recognised expert in a field relevant to its areas of interest to give a lecture as a fitting tribute to two wonderful long-time supporters and to also thank our current, tireless volunteers without whom the Museum would find it very difficult to operate.
Before the lecture enjoy a private viewing of ‘Changing Times’.
The Hon. John Brumby AO is Chancellor of La Trobe University, Chair of the Victorian Convention and Events Trust and a Professor (Honorary) at the University of Melbourne. He is well known for his roles as the former Premier of Victoria (2007 to 2010) and Treasurer (2000 to 2007), as well as his time in Federal Parliament (1983 to 1990) as the Member for Bendigo during the Hawke Government.
Tickets $15. Concession (including Bendigo Chinese Association member) $12 Available from Eventbrite here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/getting-the-message-across-tickets-1352077884349?aff=oddtdtcreator
Delivered through an iPad application, ‘House of Loong’ tells the story of why three generations of Imperial Processional Dragons (Loong, Sun Loong, and Dai Gum Loong) were commissioned and brought to Bendigo. It explains how the local tradition of parading Dragons during Easter has remained unbroken for over 130 years, a practice unique in the world. ‘House of Loong’ has three components: a short documentary; an audio experience; and an interactive quiz with original 3D animations bringing to life the iconic 1901 photograph of Loong parading in Melbourne at Australia’s Federation celebrations. Home to the largest and most significant collection of Chinese heritage and cultural objects in Australia, the Museum is proud to have worked with Ivan Sun, local Bendigo artist and educator, to deliver this dynamic and creative digital installation.
House of Loong was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia. This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program, Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts Victoria
Changing Times: Posters From the Stuart E Fraser Collection is an exhibition featuring Chinese propaganda posters from the 1960s to 1980s from La Trobe University’s Stuart E Fraser Poster Collection.
Mostly political in nature, the posters promote views on issues such as civic duty, public health, community life and unity. Emeritus Professor Stewart Fraser (1929–2001) was founder of La Trobe University’s School of Education, and Chair of Education in the Centre for Comparative and International Studies in Education. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Tianjin, China, and was educated at the Universities of Melbourne, Oxford, Stanford, Colorado and London. Fraser acquired the posters during visits to China in the 1970s onwards, at a time when poster art in China was flourishing, embracing a wider range of styles and subject matter than ever before.
1. Image credit: Chen Ming, People and fish jump for joy, 1978. La Trobe University Stuart E Fraser Collection.
2. Image credit: Jiang Nanchun, Talking by video phone, 1980. La Trobe University Stuart E Fraser Collection.
Golden Dragon Museum’s Collection Redevelopment Project has been a key driver in our work to best care for, store and research our world-leading Collection.
In Highly Commending the Project, the judges at the recent Awards recognised this in their citation:
The judges commended this project as a remarkable two-year initiative that brings new life to the museum’s significant collection, particularly important to the Chinese community in Australia. By prioritising collection redevelopment and access, the museum has shown impressive innovation, despite limited funding. It not only enhances the preservation of cultural history but also engages interns and students, ensuring that its positive impact will be felt for years to come.
The Museum thanks the City of Greater Bendigo and Helen Macpherson Smith Trust for their support of this Project. More information can be found here.
Photo credit: Jess White Photography