Mogullumbidj: First People of Mount Buffalo, Victorian Historical Journal, Volume 91, Number 1, June 2020.

This journal article was short-listed in the Victorian Community History Awards 2020. Download the paper here.

From the editors: ‘Mogullumbidj: First People of Mount Buffalo’, by Jacqui Durrant, is a fascinating exploration of the identity of this little-known Aboriginal group, first referred to in European sources as the bringers of the ‘gaiggip’ ceremony to Melbourne in 1843–44. In trying to discover who the Mogullumbidj were and what happened to them, this article suggests they played a key role in the process of cultural diffusion for the Kulin nation, bringing with them from the alpine regions new and sacred forms of song and dance to deal with the unprecedented social turmoil and upheaval caused by European invasion and occupation.

Fire on the Plateau — A History of Fire and Its Management in Stanley, by Jacqui Durrant, 2019, published by Friends of the Stanley Athenaeum, Stanley. 110 pages. RRP. $25.00.

This book was short-listed in the Victorian Community History Awards 2020.

From Aboriginal peoples’ burning practices through to the catastrophic bushfires of 2003 and 2009, Fire on the Plateau brings to vivid life the history of bushfire on the forested plateau of Stanley in Victoria’s north east. Jacqui Durrant’s examination culminates with how the community of Stanley adjusts as their surrounding environment transitions from being historically bushfire-free to becoming one of extreme bushfire risk.

To purchase this book, please contact the Friends of the Stanley Athenaeum, or visit the Stanley Athenaeum, Myrtelford Road, Stanley, Victoria (opens Friday 10am-12midday):
Phone: 0458 606 922 or 0357 286 702 Email: stanleyathenaeum@gmail.com
Books are also on sale at the Stanley Post Office and the Beechworth Information Centre, Ford Street, Beechworth.

Emporium: Inside Albury’s most famous department store, by Jacqui Durrant,
2014, published by Albury Library Museum, Albury. 31 pages.

Emporium is the illustrated catalogue essay for the museum exhibition of the same title, centred on Albury’s first and most famous department store, Abikhair’s Emporium. A family business run by Syrian immigrant Saad Milham Abikhair and his wife Shefia, the store quickly became known for its personal service, quality and vast array of goods. For almost 70 years Abikhair’s was the region’s mixed-class department store and a must-visit destination for men and women who could find something to their liking, regardless of their economic background.

Through the lens of this one department store, the exhibition explored the role of women in the 1950s, and the evolution of fashion from the early 20th century.

During the emporium’s glory days, women were a household’s primary shoppers who were expected to buy for themselves, children, husbands and their homes. The ability to make autonomous decisions about their purchases provided a huge amount of satisfaction for women of the day, and gave them an identity not usually afforded through domestic life.

Similarly, post-war Australia saw traditional skills such as sewing, knitting and baking become less important as a means of defining a woman’s value. Increasingly a woman’s skill lay in making the right decisions when purchasing goods to maximise her family’s well-being on a given budget. Abikhair’s reputation for good quality at reasonable prices was an important factor at a time when a woman’s choice of department store reflected her personal worth.

This exhibition toured nationally from 2014-2017.