A BEAUTIFULLY handcrafted wedding dress worn more than a century ago is one of the latest treasures on display at Mary Boulton’s Pioneer Cottage & Museum.
The cottage and museum offer visitors a unique glimpse into the lives of one of the Nambucca Valley’s pioneering families.
The elegant gown was worn by Alice Provost when she married Sidney Burns in Macksville on 1 September 1915.
Remarkably, the dress was hand-made by Ms Provost herself and has survived in excellent condition for more than 110 years.
Made from Tussah silk, a wild silk produced by silkworms that feed on oak and juniper leaves, the gown carries the distinctive natural golden hue for which the fabric is known.
Tussah silk is also recognised for its durability, helping preserve the garment through generations of family history.
The dress features a pleated collar, long sleeves with cuffs, and delicate lace detailing on both the bodice and sleeve cuffs.
A painted wedding photograph of newlyweds Alice and Sidney Burns depicts the bride wearing a veil and wide sash, although these accessories were not included when the gown was donated to the museum.
Alice was the ninth child of Hannah (née Hurst) and Robert Provost, who married in England in 1881 before settling in the Macksville district around 1885.
Following their marriage, Alice and Sidney Burns established a dairy farm at Warrell Creek, where they lived and worked until Mr Burns retired.
After selling the property, they spent approximately six years at Kings Point, west of Macksville, before eventually moving to Mann Street in Nambucca Heads, where they lived for around 26 years.
The historic gown was generously donated to the museum by Judy, a granddaughter of Alice and Sidney Burns, along with family portraits that are also now on display.
The dress has previously been worn in more recent times, with Alice Burns’ great-granddaughter, Lee-Anne, modelling it during a fashion parade held at Mary Boulton’s Cottage in the mid-1980s.
“We are so grateful to have had this beautiful item of local history donated for us to put on display,” President of Mary Boulton’s Pioneer Cottage & Museum Committee, Leanne Welsh, told News Of The Area.
“We encourage locals and visitors to come along and see it and the other items in our large collection and this might even inspire them to volunteer at the cottage, helping us keep our local history alive.”
The wedding dress joins an extensive collection that helps tell the story of the Nambucca Valley’s early settlers.
Visitors can step back in time and explore the furnished pioneer cottage, set within a welcoming garden; a timber-getter’s bark hut; an early police cell from Macksville Police Station; horse-drawn vehicles; a traditional dairy; agricultural tools and equipment; and a wide range of household and personal items once used by local families.
The cottage is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.
By Mick BIRTLES
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