Media Release
30 June 2015
FOOTPRINTS EXHIBITION UNTIL 24 JULY
In celebration of NAIDOC week, Moorabool Shire Libraries will host the travelling exhibition
Footprints: the Journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper. This Public Record Office Victoria exhibition
traces the remarkable lives of an Aboriginal soldier and his family in the early 20th century.
It traces the history of the Pepper family through archival records from the National Archives of
Australia and Public Record Office Victoria, along with photographs and letters from private
collections, hoping that the story will help other Aboriginal families find their lost stories.
Designated half-castes under the legislation at the time, the Pepper family were excluded from the
Aboriginal missions where other family members lived. They struggled continually to find a home
and make a living. Like other men who enlisted, service provided opportunities otherwise denied
them
Percy Pepper was one of Victoria’s 40 Indigenous soldiers, who served in France during World
War I. He was also one of the few Aboriginal soldiers who received land under the Soldier
Settlement Scheme at Koo-Wee-Rup in Gippsland. The block was located on a swamp which often
flooded.
Intricately pieced together from the archives, this story of resilience and tenacity was researched
and written by curators Sebastian Curciullo and Tsari Anderson. The descendants of Lucy and
Percy Pepper worked with the Public Record Office Victoria to develop the exhibition.
Dates: 4 June- 24 July 2015
Venue: Lerderderg Library, Main St, Bacchus Marsh
Cost: Free
For more information, contact Moorabool Shire Council on 5366 7100 or Ali Webb,
Communications & Marketing Coordinator, Public Record Office Victoria:
alison.webb@prov.vic.gov.au or 9348 5709.
Rob Croxford
Chief Executive Officer
For media enquiries contact mediaenquiries@moorabool.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 5366 7100.