Speaker Laura Jocic
Topic The Letters of Capt. Richard Hanmer and Sarah Bunbury
The State Library of Victoria holds an extensive archive of letters written by Hanmer and Sarah Bunbury who arrived in the Port Phillip District in early 1841. The letters provide an insight into the social and domestic lives of those who settled pre-gold rush. Sarah wrote of her daily life and her friendships, particularly with Georgiana McCrae who had travelled out on the same ship and assisted with the birth of Sarah’s second child during the voyage. The couple and their growing family lived in Williamstown from 1842 and Hanmer spent time away at his station, ‘Barton Hall’, near Mt William. By 1852 Sarah had returned to England with the children and Hanmer, who had stayed on to better their prospects, died unexpectedly in Melbourne in 1857 at the age of 43.
Laura is a consultant curator and historian with particular expertise in fashion and textiles. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne investigating the significance of dress in Australian colonial society. Laura has worked in museums and galleries in Australia and New Zealand, including the Auckland Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Victoria where she was a curator of Australian Fashion and Textiles from 2007-2012. Laura is a Research Associate at Museums Victoria.