Florence Rutter

01/06/2020

Forthcoming Carrolup Book

I just wanted to remind you that the book I have been writing, in association with John Stanton, Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe, will be released as a digital book that can be downloaded from Amazon, Apple Books and Kobo on the 23rd of June, just 22 days […]
21/05/2020

The Carrolup Story: 18 Months On

I can’t believe that John and I missed the 18 month anniversary of our website, The Carrolup Story. Yes, we launched The Carrolup Story as a Storytelling, Education and Healing resource on 10th November 2018, the 85th birthday of Noelene White, daughter of Carrolup teacher Noel White. Since that […]
11/05/2020

The Legacy of Carrolup

On the 2nd February 1950, Mrs Rutter told the boys of Carrolup that she would do all in her power to make their work known throughout the world. Seventy years later, John Stanton and I are trying to help the children of Carrolup reach out again, through our […]
07/05/2020

John Stanton’s 40-Year Carrolup Journey

Back at the beginning of 2019, I wrote a blog about my colleague John Stanton and his involvement in the Carrolup story. Given the approaching publication of our book Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe, I thought it was time to describe John’s involvement again. He has played a […]
05/05/2020

Book Launch, June 23rd 2020

The book I’ve been writing in association with John Stanton, Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe, has finally been finished. It will be published as an eBook and iBook from June 23rd, just seven weeks away today. We’ve chosen that date for the launch, as it is the […]
02/03/2020

A Letter of Appreciation

Firstly, my apology for not posting any blogs recently, but I have been busy trying to finish writing the book about the Carrolup child artists. Very close to finishing that now, so I’m back blogging. In my last blogs, I focused on Mrs Florence Rutter’s visits to Carrolup […]
02/02/2020

70th Anniversary: A Promise

In yesterday’s blog, I described the first two days of the visit of Florence Rutter and Vera Hack to Carrolup Native Settlement. Mrs Rutter’s words show clearly how highly she thought of the boys of Carrolup! ‘During the three days we spent at Carrolup we were able to […]
31/01/2020

Carrolup and Florence Rutter, Part 4

Mrs Rutter returns to Perth after her tour of Australia and New Zealand in January 1950. She is approached by Mrs Vera Hack, who informs Florence that she is willing to drive her down to Carrolup and stay there with her as long as she likes. Florence then […]
30/01/2020

Carrolup and Florence Rutter, Part 3

In the run-up to a special 70th Anniversary on the 2nd February this year, I have been telling the story of Florence Rutter’s involvement with the child artists of Carrolup in a series of blogs. In the first blog, I describe how Florence first visited Carrolup in July […]
29/01/2020

Carrolup and Florence Rutter, Part 2

In my last blog, I described Mrs Florence Rutter’s first visit to Carrolup in July 1949. Whilst there, Mrs Rutter bought £5 worth of Carrolup drawings and designs. When she returned to Perth, Mrs Rutter had the drawings mounted on cardboard and covered with cellophane for protection. She […]
28/01/2020

Carrolup and Florence Rutter, Part 1

One of the fascinating elements of the Carrolup Story is that the Aboriginal child artists had an ‘ambassador’ for their work, a 71-year old Englishwoman, Mrs Florence Rutter. Mrs Rutter was given permission by the Western Australian government to exhibit and sell the children’s art, first around Australia […]
23/01/2020

Vera Hack’s Missing Cine Film

One of the puzzles in the Carrolup Story concerns the missing cine film that Mrs Vera Hack (later Gaarde) took of the Aboriginal boys of Carrolup Native Settlement on 1st February 1950. Vera told me about the film when I interviewed her at her home on 24th January 1986, […]
05/11/2019

The Closure of Carrolup School: Outcry

I’d just like to remind you that you can read a 12-part summary of the story of the Carrolup child artists in the Story section of our website, which starts with Colonisation. The Department of Native Affairs in Western Australia closes Carrolup School in December 1950 with little, if any, […]
10/09/2019

Little Black Fingers

Mrs Florence Rutter, a 71-year old Englishwoman, visited Carrolup twice—in July 1949 and January/February 1950. She returned to England soon after her second visit, having received permission from the West Australian government to exhibit and sell the Carrolup children’s artworks (mainly the boys’ drawings). A Trust Fund had […]
23/07/2019

Thinking About the Carrolup Boys: Noel White

In my last blog posting, I talked briefly about how teacher Noel White helped the children of Carrolup overcome their fear and inspired them to create beautiful landscape drawings that gained public acclaim in South West Australia. During 1949 and 1950, 71-year old Englishwoman exhibited the art in […]
16/07/2019

Child Artists of Carrolup: Reflections

Mary Durack Miller, in association with Florence Rutter, wrote a book about the Aboriginal child artists of Carrolup entitled, Child Artists of the Australian Bush, which was published in June 1952. Florence Rutter met the child artists through her two visits to Carrolup in 1949 and 1950 and exhibited their artworks […]
09/07/2019

Identifying the Children of Carrolup

An important aim of our project has been to connect people today with ‘content’ relating to family members who were at Carrolup all those years ago. This content may take the form of photographs, the children’s drawings and letters, or documents from various sources. Last week, I posted […]
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