The 350 Years Exhbition.

THE QUAKER JOURNEY.

Sixteen fifty-two is seen as the year in which Quakers, as we are now known, became a reality. After many years of travelling around England, preaching and gathering his followers together against very difficult odds, George Fox and the Society for the Friends of Truth became established as a new Christian entity.

In 2002 – 350 years later, Friends in Western Australia Regional Meeting decided to commemorate the event with an exhibition showing how the Family of Friends around the World and particularly in Australia had developed historically.

A small committee began planning the show in the middle of 2002 and was kept busy until it was opened at the Fremantle Arts Centre’s Access Gallery on November 3rd. The Exhibition was open to the public for almost two months. 

‘The Quaker Journey’ was based around the Quaker Testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and Equality. It also included Historical Displays that showed the ways that Quakerism came to be established in each State in Australia. We also found historical items in our archives and were able to display a Quaker Bonnet and Shawl, various old books on Quaker Practice and a small sculpture, made by a Young Friend, that showed Friends in a Meeting for Worship. We had various important quotes from our Faith and Practice books displayed around the walls for people to read.

The Exhibition was packed up just after Christmas and beginning with Yearly Meeting in Adelaide in 2003, it travelled around Australia introducing the Society of Friends to the public. Many Regional Meetings were able to add their own material to the display such as the two little Peace doves that were the ‘logo’ that was used in Canberra. The central sailing ship is a depiction of the first ship that brought visiting Friends to Australia. It was called the ‘Henry Freeling’.  

This panel has been stitched by Friends in WA and is now in Victoria.