The Minnie Berrington Project

Our history is important. Australian women’s history is important. But in Australia’s remote and transient regional and outback communities, we have struggled with recording our history for future generations. Many stories have disappeared or have been forgotten, and the female perspective has been one of the greatest casualties.

To understand who you are, you need to develop a sense of self; for this reason, it is vitally important to have our female role models represented. Women and girls need to see themselves reflected in history and have the opportunity to learn about female pioneers such as Minnie who had a positive impact on her community.

If we neglect the female pioneers that helped shape this country, we continue to present a skewed version of history.

This documentary celebrates the inspirational Australian pioneer, Minnie Berrington, and helps to champion the vital role that women played in forging our society.

Our campaign #belikeminnie symbolizes our hope for women and girls to be inspired by Minnie’s remarkable story, to live life on their own terms and not feel constrained by gender inequality. Through sharing Minnie’s story, we hope to inspire a new generation and empower women to step forward and help shape the future of Australian history.

SHORT TERM
Championing our female pioneers by providing a historic role model.
Community involvement, consultation and participation in reviving and preserving local history

MEDIUM TERM
Ensuring Minnie is recognized for the vital roles she played in two outback opal communities.
Education of local school children regarding female pioneers and their importance in our history.
Create awareness of the rich heritage of our often-forgotten opal mining and desert communities.
Greater opportunities for locals to create their own historical and cultural projects.

LONG TERM
After viewing the documentary an increase in tourism occurs, which is vital to the survival of outback townships.
A more balanced archival record enriches the history of remote areas by recognizing the contribution of our female pioneers.
A rise in the empowerment of girls and women in our far regional and outback communities through the #belikeminnie campaign.

The project has been awarded a Country Arts SA Regional Grant of $21010 which is facilitated by the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association (APOMA). As such, we have the support and assistance of APOMA to help us develop key areas of the project.

ABC North & West supported the project with an on-air radio interview with the producer and also published an article about the MBP on their site. This promoted strong interest from regional and outback listeners and readers of ABC North & West.

The local communities of Andamooka, Coober Pedy and Roxby Downs have shared posts and our teaser for the project, and are very supportive of the project.

1. Promote the film via social media so that others have the opportunity to learn about Minnie’s inspiring journey.

2. Inspire girls and women to #belikeminnie and make positive decisions for themselves that lead to self-confidence and empowerment.

3. Spark discussions about our female pioneers in regional and outback schools, and encourage students to research and create projects about their local female role models.

4. Journey to the regional and outback areas to experience the journey of Minnie Berrington for themselves.

5. More support for the reinvigoration of Historical Societies in outback communities, resulting in the discovery and publicizing of other female pioneers.

6. Donate their time, money or expertise to the gender equality campaigns.