Easter exhibition evokes enduring effects of evergreen Fair Society

A MULTIMEDIA exhibition opening on the eve of the Easter long weekend will pay fitting tribute to the legacy and contributions of the century-old Bendigo Easter Fair Society.

As custodians of Australia’s earliest community festival – the Bendigo Easter Festival – the Society became a permanent body in 1926 and originally comprised an 18-member committee.

The committee brought together representatives from the City of Bendigo, the Borough of Eaglehawk, Bendigo Hospital, the Bendigo Aged Care Asylum as well as “nine enthusiastic locals”.

The organisation eventually became an Incorporated Association in 1983.

Curated by local arts identity Ivan Sun, features of the upcoming exhibition include film, costumes, memorabilia and a series of historical and contemporary images.

Mr Sun said he’s found it a complicated task putting everything together.

“My job was to make it appealing for someone coming in to get a sense of the enormous history of the Easter Fair Society on its own, of the Fair and of the Chinese community, the pipe bands and the fire brigades,” he said.

“They’ve each generously offered something interesting, including lots of photographs.”

He said visitors over Easter and beyond will in fact be surprised by the variety of items on show.

“There’s something old, something new, some things borrowed (on loan from the Golden Dragon Museum)… everything is really true to the history, true to the people of Bendigo,” he said.

100 Years of the Bendigo Easter Fair Society: Custodians of the Grand Fair opens at the Living Art Space, Bendigo Visitor Centre on Thursday 2 April and continues until Sunday 3 May.

The Living Art Space is open every day from 9am until 4.30pm.