Two Generations of Goldfields’ Children

Life on the goldfields wasn’t all work—there was still time for play! The toys and school items here belonged to two generations of children from the Straube and Barker families, who grew up in Kalgoorlie, Boulder, and Leonora between the 1890s and 1920s.

Alvina, Evelyn, and Beatrice Straube were raised in the bustling goldfields of the 1890s and early 1900s. Alvina later became a schoolteacher, married postmaster George Barker, and raised five children—Dorothy, Carmel, Monica, Loretta, and George—who continued the family tradition of play with these much-loved toys.

These objects reflect the lives of working-class children. There are no expensive treasures here, just homemade, hand-me-down, and often well-worn toys that sparked imaginative play outdoors in the red dirt.

Highlights from the Collection

🧸 China Shoulder Head Dolls (c. 1920)
These simple dolls, once cherished by Monica Barker, wear handmade clothes and bear signs of repair—a testament to the care given to toys that were expected to last.
MC94.97.140, MC94.97.141

🎀 Celluloid Dolls and Kewpies (1920s)
Lightweight and fragile, these Japanese-made dolls were popular during the 1920s. Monica even won one of the Kewpies as a prize at a fancy dress ball!
MC94.97.1, MC94.97.161, MC94.97.164, MC94.97.165, MC94.97.166, MC94.97.13, MC94.97.172, MC94.97.159

❄️ Frozen Charlotte Doll (1890s)
This solid porcelain doll, with its stiff, unjointed limbs, was first played with by Beatrice Straube and later passed down to the Barker children.
MC94.97.143

🎭 Celluloid Clockwork Clown (1920s)
A rare and whimsical toy, this Japanese-made clown entertained the Barker children with its mechanical movements.
MC94.97.180

🧩 Homemade Solitaire Game (1920s)
Crafted with love by George Barker (Snr) for his daughter Monica, this wooden game came with marbles stored in a repurposed tobacco tin.
MC94.97.147

⚫ Marbles and Bag (1890s–1920s)
Monica’s marble collection spans two generations, with hand-cut stone, clay, and pottery marbles passed down from her parents. Some marbles were even salvaged from old soft drink bottles or improvised from industrial ball bearings.
MC94.97.183 (a–v)

🐑 Lead ‘Knuckle Bones’ (1920s)
Knuckle bones was a favourite childhood game, usually played with real sheep bones. The Barker children used these cast-lead versions to practice tricks like 1-2-3-4-5 pick-up.
MC94.97.199 (a–e)

These humble toys, dirt-stained and lovingly repaired, speak to the creativity, resourcefulness, and enduring spirit of childhood on the Western Australian goldfields.

All items donated by J. O’Keefe, ECU Museum of Childhood Collection, Western Australian Museum.