“Connections” is a project undertaken by the recent David Sheedy Scholarship recipient, Althea Rodricks. The project is based on acquiring records from one of the National Trust’s heritage properties, the Everglades House and Gardens in Leura, Blue Mountains; and using them in an exhibition to showcase the house and the people who have cared for it.

The Everglades house is an Art-Deco house, built in the 1930s.  It serves as a legacy for the Belgian migrant Henri Van de Velde, who amassed his fortune in Sydney during the Great Depression, creating an empire from a floundering textiles company, and expanded it across the Southern Hemisphere into the South African and New Zealand markets. Along with the house, a garden containing a variety of plants and tree species, collected from his travels across the world, spans out across the five-acre property, and was designed by the Danish landscape architect, Paul Sorensen, whose work features in many European-style gardens across the Blue Mountains. A prominent feature of the gardens is a series of terrace levels which provide structure and support for the gardens; utilising the natural gradient of the mountain as a means to guide visitors through the property to a lookout over the expanse of the Jamison Valley. The gardens were immortalised by the creation of pictorial images by the photographer Harold Cazneaux shortly after the house was built in 1936.

The Everglades stands as a celebration of entrepreneurialism and making the most of opportunities. At the time it was built, it provided a means of employment for numerous workers in the area, during a time where work was scarce and many labourers struggled to find work. The design of the house and the gardens were organic and developed from garden conversations between Van de Velde and Sorensen.

Since Van de Velde’s death, the gardens have passed through many hands; until finally being acquired by the National Trust in 1962. Since then it has been cared for by dedicated Managers, Gardeners, and Volunteers; and supported by generous donors and bequests. It has received multitudes of visitors, who flock to the Gardens annually for its autumn and spring colours; as well as events, theatre and music performances and art exhibitions.

At present, the Everglades house is a museum house which aims to showcase the Art Deco era of architecture to visitors through signage and displays. The house itself is marked for its heritage significance; however as yet, the history of the house; its acquisition by the National Trust; and the people who have ensured that it continues to stand today; has been untapped and unrecognised. In order for Everglades to continue to have support from its community, a cohesive narrative which contains the individuals and groups which have been involved in its journey, must be celebrated.

The aim of “Connections” is to locate authentic records and documentation of the history of Everglades; the people who have cared for it; the memories of individuals, families, and groups who have been a part of its history; and to exhibit this content in a dynamic and engaging way for visitors to understand the value of heritage and advocacy. This is in line with the National Trust’s mission of raising community awareness in order to protect NSW’s built, cultural and natural heritage, all of which are celebrated at Everglades. The project consists of locating records and consolidating them under an updated catalogue, prior to digitising them for use within the exhibition space.

Records which have been used for exhibition include photographs of the house and gardens under construction and the labourers involved, telling the story of the Depression and the search for opportunity; as well as photographs of family members who have lived at the Everglades; correspondence detailing memories of children who grew up in the area; souvenirs and keepsakes from musical performances; photographs of volunteers and Friends of the Everglades, who worked at events for free; and newspaper clippings and correspondence from community newspapers. As well as records, a written history of the Everglades will accompany the exhibition, presenting a cohesive narrative from its creation to its care today under the National Trust.

The project is entitled “Connections” to encapsulate the points of contact that various people have had to the Everglades over time, and to forge new ones by connecting visitors to the story of the Everglades by exhibiting engaging and varied content on themes such as migration, sport, women’s history, and theatre, to name a few. Although this project has spanned over a short period of four months, it is hoped that future exhibitions may expand on it to explore Indigenous history, women’s history, and oral history in the Leura area, making more significant connections which will support the mission of the National Trust.

- Althea Rodricks