Exhibition openings are joyous gatherings; they bring together the artists, art workers, families, friends and the arts-loving general public to celebrate the culmination of an epic creative process.

The opening night of Legacies Karlkurla (Kalgoorlie) at the Museum of the Goldfields was definitely all that – the gallery was full and there was a lot of love in the room.

But, this opening night was also so much more for some of the guests – they were attending, in memoriam.

This exhibition not only honoured the lives of Elders in the room, the gallery held a gentle heaviness because there were notable absences.

Two of the much loved Elders featured in this stunning exhibition sadly passed away during production.

Trevor Brownley died from an unexpected illness before he had a chance to record his life story, or be a part of the portraiture photo shoot with acclaimed photographer, Michael Jalaru Torres.

After much discussion within his family, and with the blessing of Trevor’s wife Marcia Brownley, it was decided that they still wanted his achievements and impact to be shared in the museum, so his son Linden stepped in to record the interview and do the photos. Three generations of Mr Brownley’s family attended the opening, their pride and grief sharing equal space.

It was incredibly heartbreaking to watch, but also a reminder of just how important it is for us to record these precious stories.

It’s often said that every Elder is a library of knowledge and that unless you record it, that library goes with them.

Thankfully, much of Trevor Brownley’s life has been documented and we are incredibly grateful that his son was able to step into this project and share his dad’s legacy, at a time when he was still processing his own loss.

The other Elder who crossed over during the project was well known Ngaanyatjarra artist, Dallas McLean.

Dallas is the niece of one of the Goldfields region's most acclaimed Aboriginal artists. Her aunty, Dr Pantjiti Mary McLean, is represented in every important public and private collection in Australia. She taught Dallas how to paint, and while she went on to develop her own style, her aunty’s use of vibrant colour and depiction of country certainly influenced her.

Exactly one week after she recorded her story at the ABC studios in Kalgoorlie, she passed away.

At the time we could all hear the tiredness in her voice, but it was a complete shock when we heard she’d succumbed to her illness.

We are so thankful to have her stories about growing up in desert country and learning cultural practices from her family.

We were also incredibly humbled to have her sing one of her favourite hymns in her traditional language.

In the exhibition, Dallas’s vibrant artworks sit proudly alongside a painting by her aunty and mentor - it’s a fitting tribute to two very accomplished Goldfields artists.

There is also a video stand in the gallery featuring two short films.

Dallas McLean’s video has been provided courtesy of Goldfields Women’s Health Care Centre and Bush Blossom Gallery and the Ma Goola film, featuring the late Mr Brownley, was provided by Tjuma Pulka Media Corporation and the Brownley Gospel Singers. 

It’s absolutely  worth taking ten minutes to sit and learn about their incredible contributions and we thank Monika Dvorak at Bush Blossom Gallery for making this happen.

Featuring portraits of each Elder and audio recordings of their stories, Legacies Karlkurla (Kalgoorlie) is on display at the Museum of the Goldfields until 3 May 2026. The gallery is open from 10am – 3pm daily.  VIEW THE PROGRAM

If you're not in Kalgoorlie, you can listen to the Karlkurla Ngurra Wangka podcast, which features the audio recordings of each Elder's story, via the button below.