A warm welcome home for historic artworks

Busselton Historical Society (BHS) members gathered last month to mark the unveiling of some special carvings created by one of the region’s most talented individuals.

The carvings are the works of Marion St Clair Layman who is believed to be the first Western Australian woman to work creatively using local timbers.

The society held a small ceremony to honour the occasion after the carvings were relocated from Busselton Woolworths to the Busselton Museum.

Great-great-great-niece of Clair Layman, Linda Edwards and Historical Society member Kate Sutherland (who travelled from Melbourne) joined Emma-Clare Bussell as well as Jacquie Happ along with several society members for the morning tea.

After a few words from BHS President Stephanie Piper, Linda and Kate unveiled the new signage for the carvings, with Linda expressing her thanks for the hard work to secure the carvings and for the display of her ancestor’s hand-carved works, which her aunty “would be so proud of”.