Australia, home of the 'fair go', but who are the ordinary and extraordinary people who made our nation what it is today? And how can we learn from their actions? National Archives of Australia asks these questions in its latest exhibition Disrupt, persist, invent: Australians in an ever-changing world.

Opening this week in Canberra, Disrupt, persist, invent profiles the many different and sometimes unexpected ways people have pushed for change in Australia.

Exhibition curator Ms Catriona Donnelly explains, 'the catalyst for social change might arise from a significant event or as a result of like-minded people campaigning for a common cause. They are passionate, determined and often prepared to put their bodies on the line to achieve their objectives.'

Disrupt, persist, invent highlights stories illustrating how change has impacted our society. This exhibition's most compelling message is that change takes a tremendous investment of time and energy but that people’s sustained actions over time really can make a difference.

'The exhibition is arranged not by the cause or campaign, but by how the change was effected. This could be through noisy protests or by quiet persistence. Themes, such as women's rights, environmental campaigns, First Nations rights and equality, run as undercurrents, however the focus is on how the change was achieved' said Ms Donnelly.

An example of how a small act can inspire community change is the story of Love wheels, a yarn bombed bicycle created by craftivist, Eloise Murphy.

'During the marriage equality debate in 2017, people seemed to be using the debate for their own political ends. All this noise and distraction had nothing to do with marriage equality' Ms Murphy said.

'I knew then that I wanted to make a positive contribution to the debate, so I decided to make a crocheted rainbow bike called Love wheels. It included a quotation from the (then) Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, on his 37-year marriage to his wife, Lucy.'

'Once I finished Love wheels, I decided to chain it up to a street pole outside the Prime Minister's house with the hope of prompting positive change to the discussion.'

Eloise hoped the Turnbulls would see the bike and be moved by it. Unbeknownst to her, they did see the bike — and they loved it.

The bike became a powerful symbol of the 'Yes' campaign. It encapsulated the importance of people's right to love one another and to have that love publicly recognised.

Love wheels is just one of many stories highlighting how people have inspired change through their passion, persistence and actions.

National Archives Director-General Simon Froude said ‘This exhibition calls upon many records held within the collection, records that help to tell the important stories of the shaping of our nation.’

‘If there is one takeaway message we all garner from this exhibition, it is that the simplest of acts really can inspire others. It is often the stories of quiet persistence, innovation and creativity that resonate just as loudly as public protests.’

Disrupt, persist, invent is supported by Visions of Australia and the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program.

Disrupt, persist, invent: Australians in an ever-changing world is a free exhibition open from 8 December 2022 to 12 June 2023.

For interview upon request

Director-General, Simon Froude Exhibition curator, Catriona Donnelly Craftivist, Eloise Murphy