50 Years of Dongara Pottery 1974-2024

By Jaye Allan

Trish Parker at the Irwin Districts Historical Society and Janet Ross, a member for 30 years, have produced 28 wonderful pages of our club history 1974 - 2024, beginning in an old school building from 1906 we share with the Dongara Rag.

Members came to make pottery and friends, bringing with them anything useful: tables and chairs, toothbrushes, newspaper… Clay and glazes still bought in Perth are brought up over 400 kms. Whilst initially everything had to be fired in the TAFE kiln in Geraldton - and a lot was damaged on the way - the club finally aquired a stainless steel sink, pottery wheels and kilns…We now have a new storeroom and pergola with 3 kilns - for low, mid and high firing, plus new furniture and flooring. We’ve had talented potters, art teachers and artists help us over the years: Bela Koti, Gary Zec, Gary Nicol, Ian Dowling, Coral Coulter, Chris Campbell, Penny Lindemann and Edith McClurg…plus many more. Thank you!!!

One of the first community efforts was the Owl Project - also called Kids Matter when Janet Ross, Kellie Wilson and Kelli Dawson gave workshops on making pottery owls they then pasted onto our club wall. In 2018 the Dongara Art Groups asked us to bring artists of all ages together to create the Fairy Garden down by the Irwin river with fun animals and games. And later even under fives made clay butterflies and flowers to brighten up the Playgroup wall!

For 2021 Remembrance Day, 100 years since the end of World War 1 many red pottery poppies were displayed in the Town Park. Intergenerational Mates brings young and old together, having fun with clay. And there’ve always been successful adult lessons, home-schooling and after school lessons, with club sponsorships, continuing under our new 2025 committee.

Finally, in 2023 as President of the Dongara Pottery Club Janet Ross was nominated for the Shire of Irwin Australia Day Citizen of the Year award. And in 2024 the Club itself was nominated for an Australia Day Community group award.