UA31316 Lumen Spring 2024 Final Digital - Flipbook - Page 18
Volunteers
Depending on the year level, the group tours the grounds and
then either experiences the life of the service staff, how kids their
age used to learn (cursive remains a challenge at times) or engage
in conversation and croquet with the Waites and Barr Smiths.
By Isaac Freeman
It’s surprising how lively and passionate two people can be when
they are both well over 150 years old. It’s also curious how, even
though their way of living has remained unchanged since 1892,
they appear to be unfazed at the sight of an iPhone.
“It’s such a beautiful house and to share it with the kids and see
the sense of wonder on their faces when they come in is just great,”
says Helen James, an alum and former staff member of the
University turned volunteer.
In the Waite family’s grand dining room sit Mrs Joanna Barr
Smith (a close family friend of the Waites and sister to Thomas
Elder), and a governess by the name of Miss Julia. They are taking
a well-deserved break after the morning’s performance, emerging
from character to discuss the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct
Schools’ program - a living and breathing history lesson that serves
as a creative exploration of the Waite family and the time in which
they called Urrbrae House their home.
As Helen was nearing the end of her time in the world of
forensic odontology, she looked to see what was next, and found
this opportunity through the University’s volunteer website. That
was 2010 and she has been involved in the Wednesday morning
program ever since. Helen usually plays the part of Mrs Barr Smith
but sometimes she is also known to don the costume of one of the
‘naughty’ laundry maids which she finds great fun.
Since its inception in 2006, the volunteer program has served
as an interactive history lesson for primary school children. Upon
arrival, students are greeted at the door in the manner of the time,
dressed up in costumes and assigned new names such as ‘Master
Cedric’ and ‘Miss Eugenie’. Before they know it, their school group
has stepped back in time to the 1890s.
With the active imaginations of young kids running wild, the
volunteers keep it as grounded as they can, but of course upon
seeing the old library, staircases and intricately designed fireplaces
they naturally conclude that it is quite like Harry Potter, to which
Helen says as Mrs Barr Smith: “I don’t believe I know Mr Potter.”
Living history
Beyond the costumes and the setting, it’s the differences in
everyday life that tend to capture the children’s imaginations: the
classroom with its straight lines of hard wooden desks and ink wells;
the sheer amount of work done by servants in a time before
washing machines and microwaves; and the art of conversation
in an era without screens.
“It was hard work in those times running a house – the washing,
the cooking and keeping the 20 or so fires alight to keep the place
warm,” says Maddy Zweck, who today played Miss Julia but is also
known to play Elizabeth, daughter of the Waites (her favourite).
While looking for work during her studies, Maddy stumbled
across the program in 2018, and continued with it after
moving into her job as a site interpreter and retail assistant at
Adelaide Gaol.
“I take my Wednesdays off to come here. It's the best part of my
week,” says Maddy, who also did not initially know much about the
characters and the world she would soon inhabit. “The more you
learn about the Waites the more you’re amazed by the legacy they
left behind.”
Although most of the Waite children were adults by 1892, they
did have governesses to teach them during their early life. For the
sake of the program, the governesses are there to instruct the
children of Mrs Waite’s guests, but the governesses aren’t the
only ones turning Urrbrae House into a classroom.
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