By Danielle Kutchel
Residents were treated to a glimpse into the City of Casey’s vault as part of this year’s Winter Arts Festival.
The council exhibited a number of pieces of memorabilia – gifts given by sister cities around the world – in its exhibition, ‘Design in Cultural Exchange’, which was held at Bunjil Place Library from 28 June to 2 August.
The selection of gifts from the Civic Memorabilia Collection reflected on what the gifts and their design say about place, diplomacy and cultural relationships.
Among the items on show was the Berwick Plate.
The Berwick Plate, presented by sister-city Berwick-upon-Tweed in England, was given to the City of Casey in 2002 and made by P and M Thomas of Tower House Pottery.
It was commissioned by the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed to mark 20 years of friendship between the two cities.
Tower House Pottery is known for its floral designs and images that reflect their location, and makes each individual piece by hand.
The decoration on the plate was done using a technique called sgraffito. To make the patterns, the top layer is removed, exposing the lower layer. The plates get thrown in red clay, dipped in white slip and scratched through the slip to make the images.
Special woven cloths from East Timor were also displayed.
The two East Timorese tais represent a traditional form of weaving in East Timor.
Tais is significant in the heritage and daily life of East Timor and is used to signify respect and appreciation to guests.
It’s a representation of the relationship Casey has with the District of Ermera in East Timor, which the City of Casey entered into a friendship with in 2004 with the aim of assisting the East Timor community to rebuild following the East Timor independence vote in 1999.
The City of Casey has a large East Timorese community.
A Greek medallion in the exhibition is presumed to have been a gift to the City of Casey from the City of Ioannina in Greece.
It was displayed with a presentation bowl in a velvet box, also from Ioannina.
This was presented to the mayor of the City of Casey in 1998.
Also on display was a buckeye seed necklace gifted to the City of Casey by the City of Springfield, Ohio.
Buckeye is a state symbol of Ohio and the seeds are said to resemble the eye of a male deer.
The necklace features five of the seeds and 13 wooden beads threaded on a black ribbon.
A series of three framed tiles, more gifts from Springfield, were presented alongside the necklace.
The three ceramic tiles feature abstract designs and were crafted by Motawi Tileworks, based on designs by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The gifts were given to the City of Casey in appreciation for its participation in the 2008 Connolly Games sporting and cultural exchange in Ohio.
