Walking Sandals (Material Memory)

Year: 1954

Origin: Malaysia

Donated By: Becky Dodman Wainwright

Becky received these shoes as a gift from her grandmother 25 years  ago, they are her father’s first ‘walking sandals’. Her father was born on a tea plantation in Malaysia, owned by Becky’s British/Chinese grandmother and British/Colombian grandfather. 

While wearing the sandals, her father had a close encounter with a King Cobra, leading the family to move to the UK. For Becky, these shoes symbolise a shared family history and ancestral connection, bridging generations.