A megafan has joined the South Australian Museum to bid farewell to its hugely successful Treasures of the Viking Age: the Galloway Hoard exhibition.
The exhibition closed on Sunday after a six-month stay on North Terrace, drawing a record number of visitors through the doors.
But one stood out more than most, Julie Jauncey, who visited the exhibition an incredible 37 times on her $40 season pass.
She spent the whole day with the exhibition on the final Sunday.
To mark her dedication, the Museum presented Julie with a 3D printed replica of the tortoise brooch from the exhibition and some posters used to promote it, as mementos.
“I think it’s brilliant,” Julie said of the exhibition.“Every time you watch a video or look at something in the exhibition you find something new. “I’ve been to every lecture and event, including VikingFest.
“I had a season pass, so it probably worked out a dollar for every visit.”
The Hoard, which was buried around AD 900 in Galloway, Scotland, was discovered in 2014. The exhibition with the Museum was the first time it has traveled out of Scotland.
For Julie, one of the key attractions to the Hoard was her family connection. She is also a member of the Viking re-enactment group, the New Varangian Guard: Ladoga Branch.
“My father is Scottish and my mother is Dutch,” Julie said. “We always joked we were either raised by the Vikings or conquered by them.”
So, after 37 visits, what was Julie’s favourite part of the exhibition, which featured jewellery, ingots of precious metal, glass beads, and gold brooches and silverware?
“I liked the textiles,” she said. “The jewellery is easy to see in books, but you don’t see textiles from that far back very often.
“I just thought it was really interesting - I’m actually growing some flax (used to make linen) in my front yard.
“I also liked the glass beads.”
The Treasures of the Viking Age: the Galloway Hoard exhibition will open at the Melbourne Museum on 29 August.
