Present day land girls share tales
Women shared inspirational and controversial stories of working the land in Highland Perthshire at an event at Aberfeldy’s Birks Cinema.
A sell-out crowd celebrated the first - ‘Wild Women: Whose Land is it Anyway?’ – event on June 16, exploring the often overlooked relationship of women with the land.
The trailblazing event attracted visitors from Kyle of Lochalsh to Dundee and Inverness to Leeds to hear a full day of contributions from writers, storytellers, activists, historians and those working the land, sharing their experiences and research on contemporary land related issues faced by women.
This first Wild Women event was inspired by a presentation at Perth’s WOW Festival in October 2017.
Seated in the Aberfeldy cinema, the audience explored the many ways women have become distanced from the land and shared solutions to help them re-connect, ranging from herbalism and walking alone to the more technical land tenure debate.
The debate was embellished with folklore, song, readings and poetry.
The event was hosted by journalist Lesley Riddoch.
She said: “The Wild Women event was more revealing, uplifting and emotional than any of us had imagined.
“We all knew about the Women’s Land Army during the war, but who knew women had worked as lumber jills? And who knew some felt a guilty pleasure that war had given women the chance of a lifetime? The chance to work outdoors, in nature in all weathers and at all times of day and night.”
Lesley also touched on sex inequality that’s still culturally entrenched today: “We knew land is unfairly distributed in Scotland, but who knew that sisters, daughters and
Back row (l-r): Alison Hall, Kate Ralston, Mairi Stewart, Kate Langhorne, Dani Garavelli, Lesley Riddoch, Jacqui Calder, Fiona MacEwan, Linda Cracknell, Gill Steele. Front row: Anna Hepburn, Claire Hewitt, Katrine Kennedy, Alison Forsythe, Alice McCrae wives have often been disinherited by their own families as well? [It’s] still perfectly legal.
“It was an eye-opening day and a wonderfully sociable one too. I hope the women who attended will think of reproducing the efforts of Aberfeldy across Scotland.”
Event organiser Fiona MacEwan, community development coordinator for The Birks Cinema, said: “We’re delighted with the interest, enthusiasm and range of contributions from women in Highland Perthshire and beyond to the Wild Women event and hope this will inspire other communities to explore their own histories and situations.”
Speaker and journalist Dani Garavelli commented: “I loved hearing people talk about their affinity with the land and it was inspiring to meet the likes of young local farmer Katrina Kennedy and Kate Ralston who are blazing the trail for women in agriculture.”