Jindera museum president says Forgotten Trades Festival helps preserve heritage

The picturesque and history laden grounds of the Jindera Pioneer Museum will bring to life the bygone ways of bygone days with its Forgotten Trades Festival.

Museum president Margie Wehner said the idea for the lost trades event was born during the town's 150^th celebrations and the museum's 50^th anniversary in 2018.

The second event, held in conjunction with the opening of the Tim Fischer Working Machinery Shed in 2021, attracted more than 600 people who turned out to honour the man renowned for being a "great supporter" of country communities.

It will be the museum's first major fund-raiser to support a new building project.

Ms Wehner said the event also championed the skills and trades of people from the early era of pioneering in this district.

"Many people have no idea how long it takes to do or make many items that were used in this era," said the museum stalwart and third generation local resident.

"It is easy to forget in our fast-paced world where everything is so readily available that many items had to be made by hand or you had to just do without them."

Visitors will be able to see old crafts such as basket weaving, felt craft, spinning, lace making, calligraphy, jewellery making, hand shearing and gemstone cutting and faceting.

One of the festival's aims is to provide a setting where people can see things made by hand or from scratch.

"We want people to appreciate the efforts that people had to make just to get by day by day and contemplate how difficult life often was for people back then," Ms Wehner said.

"It was a slower form of living than we experience today because often many things took so long to make or build, you took your time or were more precise, so you went slower and steadier."

There will be plenty of action to captivate young and old with rope-making demonstrations, old machinery in operation and butter churn turning.

"Many skills are also part of the heritage that we want to preserve and so the skills that go with that shouldn't be forgotten," Ms Wehner said.

Hollie Barclay, who is fascinated with Victorian hair work, will be among the talented artisans sharing their experiences and insights.

"It's a wonderful way to be exposed to and immerse yourself in activities you might never have dreamed existed," she said.