Tales of Gold: The Dawn Waterhouse Wattle Collection will see the lifelong passion of one of Canberra’s best-known heritage advocates celebrated in a new exhibition opening at Calthorpes House on August 29.

The collection brings together wattle-themed memorabilia collected over decades by the late Dawn Waterhouse, including stamps, crockery, poetry, sheet music and other ephemera.

Now held by Canberra Museum and Gallery, the collection reflects a fascination with Australia’s golden floral emblem that began in childhood.

The exhibition opens just days before National Wattle Day on September 1.

As a young girl growing up at Calthorpes House, Waterhouse and her older sister Del would climb Red Hill each year to gather wattle for their parents’ wedding anniversary. What began as a childhood ritual developed into a lifelong commitment to the flower, which she regarded as a symbol of Australian identity, belonging and national pride.

Born in 1924, Waterhouse moved into the newly built Calthorpes House with her family in 1927. In later life she played a central role in securing the preservation of the Red Hill home as a museum and remained closely involved in its exhibitions, education programs and historical interpretation.

Waterhouse also became a prominent advocate for shifting Australia’s national day of celebration to September 1, arguing that Wattle Day offered a more inclusive occasion than January 26.

“The first day of spring should be the date of our national celebration, as we recognise our bountiful and beautiful land,” she once said.

The exhibition will be open until November 28 and can be viewed during guided tours of Calthorpes House between 1pm and 4pm each Saturday.

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