Your nostalgic photos could become part of Bendigo Art Gallery's new exhibition, 'The Australian Women's Weekly: 90 Years of an Australian icon'
43 years ago, one of the greatest books ever to be published landed in the hands of parents across the country, becoming a stalwart in households, frustrating parents and revolutionising the childhood party culture.
With its retro cover featuring the iconic red and blue ‘choo-choo’ train cake, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Children’s Birthday Cake Book became ingrained in the upbringing of Aussie children, encompassing the pictures and instructions for dozens of birthday cakes that required just boxed cake mix, pre-made icing and a packet or two of lollies.
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From the figure-8 shaped racetrack, the piano, Dolly Varden, and the cricket bat, to the meringue castle, duck featuring chips, Miss Piggy and of course the swimming pool, featuring green jelly, typically Aeroplane Jelly, this glorious creation featured more than 100 cakes modelled after everything us kids could ever dream of. Flicking through those pages and picking out a cake for your birthday each and every year was a rite of passage for most 80s and 90s kids (sorry Mum).
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If you were lucky enough to have one of these cakes in your lifetime, you could become part of Bendigo Art Gallery’s new exhibition, ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly: 90 Years of an Australian icon’. Opening May 27, this exhibition marks the 90th anniversary of The Australian Women’s Weekly through a look back at some of the inspiring women who have been part of the magazine’s history, the changing eras of fashion and style brought to life on its pages, and the creativity it has inspired in the domestic sphere.
With the opening merely a month away, the Bendigo Art Gallery is calling on the public to submit photos of their cakes that have been guided by The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. They’re hoping to collect photos of smiling faces enjoying the cakes – rather than cakes alone on a plate!
For a chance to be selected, send your photo to [email protected] by Friday 28 April 2023.
Selected photos will become part of the ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly: 90 Years of an Australian icon’, opening on Saturday 27 May 2023.
This exhibition honours the contributions of some of the trailblazing women who have made the Weekly a magazine for women, by women, from its very beginnings, such as courageous wartime reporter Dorothy Drain, who filed stories from the field during WWII, and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, writing for the mothers and sisters of the soldiers she met.
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The Australian Women’s Weekly has always offered a window onto the global fashion stage, and this exhibition presents a selection of garments by leading Australian designers, worn by notable and inspiring Australian women on recent covers – including Toni Maticevski worn by legendary culinary entrepreneur Maggie Beer, Sonia Cappallazzo for actress and writer Miranda Tapsell, and an Aurelio Costarella gown worn by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
The resourceful creativity of Australian women dedicated to creating special memories for their children, and filling their homes with colour and inspiration, is honoured with a fond look back at dressmaking, interior design, craft and cooking projects inspired by the Weekly; including – of course – the ingenious designs of the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book, still going strong 43 years after its first publication.
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