Snapshot of the past

The current stay at home climate offers a great opportunity to strengthen family relationships and evenly share household tasks.

This opportunity comes as women generally face extra responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Latrobe Prevention of Men’s Violence Against Women Network chair Liz Meggetto urged families to ensure the daily household load was shared and managed in a respectful way.

“Research has shown that, in general, women do significantly more home tasks than men and that their load is only increasing with the extra responsibilities of home schooling during the lockdown,” said Ms Meggetto.

“During the COVID-19 lockdown, while we are spending more time at home, it is a great opportunity to set a good example for our children by showing them that home-duties are not just the responsibility of women, but that everyone needs to take responsibility for tasks around the house.”

The network stressed it was important to support other people living in our households and treat each other with respect during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

This could be achieved by simply helping each other out.

This may include sharing the home responsibilities more evenly with tasks such as cooking meals, doing laundry or helping children with homework or home schooling.

The network emphasised everyone was responsible for home care and child raising, not just women in the household.

To assist in these conversations about who does what around the house and learn about gender equity in relationships, visit ourwatch.org.au.

A photograph of the main street of Nilma c.1915.

The large building in the centre of the photograph is the Bloomfield Co-operative Butter Factory which was opened in 1903.

Nilma was originally named Bloomfield after a town in Ireland. However, the name was changed to Nilma in 1909 by Australia Post because of confusion with another town in Victoria known as Broomfield.

The name Nilma is the Indigenous term for “home of the Gang Gang parrot”.

In 1917, the Bloomfield Co-operative Butter Factory was pulled down, removed and reerected on a site in Mason Street, Warragul.

Nilma railway station was a major terminus for a number of tramways from the timber mills to the north along Bloomfield Road.

Nilma became a thriving township with a bakery, hotel, post office, store, butcher and churches.

The school opened on July 29, 1885 after Bloomfield residents petitioned the Minister of Education. However, the facilities were terrible with water falling through the roof. A new school was built and opened on May 1910.

Photograph and information courtesy of the Warragul and District Historical Society.

The society’s museum at the Old Shire Hall in Warragul is currently closed.

If you have any additional information about this photograph, please contact The Gazette on 5623 5666 or editorial@ warragulgazette.com.au.