Leather historian Timothy Roberts provides an illustrated talk on the politics, culture and histories of motor clubs in Australia. Using a denim overlay from a member of the Rangers Motor Club (1980–2011) as starting point, Roberts examines these organisations as both precursors to leather clubs in Australia, as well as spaces where alternate families and friendships form.

Timothy Roberts is a historian that researches Australian decorative  art heritage, material culture, and aspects of Australian LGBTQI+ cultural history.  His research into Queensland’s LGBT history includes papers presented to the Australian Homosexual Histories Conference in 2013, 2015, and 2017, and chapters for  Queer Objects  (Otago University Press, 2019). Timothy is a member of Boot Co., Australia's longest-running leather, denim and uniform club for men, and recipient of the Queensland Leather Boy title in 2015. He is currently writing a history of Boot Co. to commemorate the club's 30th anniversary in 2020. 
__

Presented in conjunction with 'Friendship as a Way of Life' at UNSW Galleries 8 May - 21 November 2020