Professor Michael Rosenthal on Edward Charles Close

Panorama of Newcastle 1821
formerly attributed to Sophia Campbell, currently acknowledged as the work of Edward Charles Close.
Click on image for a larger view. (Courtesy of the State Library of NSW)

Click here for a 360 panorama of the painting prepared by Dr Michael Meany
Panorama 1821 – 360 degree (Quicktime) by Michael Meany (1.4 MB) (View in Quicktime only)

The School of Humanities and Social Science is proud to present the first of its 2012 History Seminar series in Cultural Collections Auchmuty Library.

Professor Michael Rosenthal from the History of Art Department at Warwick University will deliver a presentation on the work of Morpeth founder and recently acknowledged Colonial artist, Edward Charles Close, and the wider technical problems in dealing with Australian colonial art. Professor Rosenthal has a long standing interest in the Macquarie era and this lecture will be of interest to researchers interested in history, colonial art and its creators.

History seminars convenor Dr Camilla Russell with Professor Rosenthal

Abstract

In 2009 Dr David Hansen discovered that the watercolours attributed to amateur colonial artist, Sophia Campbell were the work of Lieutenant Edward Close, of the 48th Regiment, which arrived in Sydney on August 3rd, 1817.

This paper builds on Dr Hansen’s foundation, to discuss some of the technical problems surrounding even knowing what we’re looking at in the field of colonial Australian art, and works are discussed according to their genre – caricatures, views, landscapes – and the latter are investigated with a view to decoding what messages their aesthetic references tell us about how Close was viewing New South Wales, Sydney and Newcastle.

These in turn are linked into other issues – the ethos of the Macquarie era, the impact of European occupation upon the Aborigines and their places – to argue that art can be as eloquent as any written documentation about the actualities of historical process.

Chair of the CRWP Gionni Di Gravio with Professor Rosenthal looking over paintings and plans of early Newcastle.

 

Professor Rosenthal in discussion with CRWP members Ann Hardy, Russell Rigby and Gionni Di Gravio

Biography

Michael Rosenthal BA, PhD (London), MA (Cantab) studied at the Courtauld Institute, and was Leverhulme Research Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge, before arriving at Warwick, where he has remained for 35 years. He has held various fellowships in Australia and the US, and was lead curator of the Gainsborough exhibition at Tate Britain in 2002. His research has concentrated on the arts within British social and cultural histories, mainly of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and he has had an abiding concern with landscape. Most recently he worked on colonial art in Australia 1788-1840; about which he is writing a book, The Artless Landscape. Michael Rosenthal is currently undertaking  research towards a second book on colonial Australia; Governor Macquarie’s Culture.

Click here for Professor Rosenthal’s article:

“The Extraordinary Mr Earle” by Michael Rosenthal
in The World Upside Down  (published by the National Library of Australia 2000)

Unveiling the Wallis Album

On the 20th February 2012 a ceremony was held at the Newcastle Art Gallery to unveil the Wallis Album.

The Wallis Album Unveiled

The Wallis Album was compiled by Captain James Wallis, who was Commandant of the Newcastle penal settlement from June 1816 to December 1818. Of the 35 works, the album features many by convict artist Joseph Lycett whom Wallis developed an association with after he was sent to Newcastle in 1815 for re-offending.

Digitised images from the  complete Wallis album are now available on the Mitchell Library web-site:

Catalogue:
http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=954703

Thumbnails of all pages:
http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?acmsID=954703&itemID=957996

This album was a personal copy of a printed book by Captain James Wallis, supplemented with extra paintings, sketches and annotations relating to the Aboriginal people in Newcastle, as well as landscapes,  flora and fauna of the area including an impossibly rare sketch of Throsby Creek. This work was a gift to his wife, and represents not only his love for her, but also his love for Newcastle and the Hunter Region. It is quite unique and a real treasure.

Sample page from The Wallis Album

The printed work is entitled: An historical account of the colony of New South Wales and its dependent settlements : in illustration of twelve views / engraved by W. Preston from drawings taken on the spot by Captain Wallis. To which is subjoined An accurate map of Port Macquarie and the newly discovered River Hastings / by J. Oxley
London : Printed for R. Ackermann by J. Moyes, 1821

see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/sets/72157622518218701/with/4036153890/

This Album is one of the most significant collections of convict-era artworks ever discovered, and was unveiled to the public for the first time at the Newcastle Art Gallery, in the city in which it was created.

Dr Alex Byrne taking the Wallis Album out of its box

Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian said that the album had been kept in a cupboard in Canada by a Wallis descendant.

Mr Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian

Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian said:

One could see immediately how important [the album was] and how vital it was to purchase it. The last time the album was in Australia was on the third of March, 1819, when Captain Wallis put it in a ship and took it back to England.

The Wallis album really is without a doubt the most significant pictorial artefact to have been made in colonial NSW during the 1810s, and is also the only known collection that relates so directly to Wallis’ time in NSW.

Portraits of Aboriginal people from this region and era are extraordinarily rare, and it shows that Wallis enjoyed a certain familiarity with the Indigenous people during his time in Newcastle.

In fact, we have a letter in the Library’s collection where Wallis talks fondly about the beauty of the Newcastle district and his pleasurable hunting expeditions with Burigon, who is featured in this portrait.

In anticipation

The NSW State Library bought the album at auction for $1.8 million.

Wallis Album unveiled by Dr Alex Byrne

Arts Minister George Souris said it was important to bring the album back to where most of its works were created.

The Hon. George Souris, NSW Minister for the Arts

The Hon. George Souris, NSW Minister for the Arts said:

This remarkable album is a vital piece of colonial history for Newcastle and Australia, and I commend the State Library of NSW for securing it for the nation after it was discovered in the back of a cupboard in Canada last year.

The album has a strong link to the people of Newcastle and the local Indigenous communities, so it is wonderful that local residents have been given the first opportunity to view it at the Newcastle Art Gallery.”

Gallery director Ron Ramsey described the album as a treasure ”greater than the jewels of Elizabeth Taylor and so much cheaper”.

Mr Ron Ramsay, Director of the Newcastle Art Gallery

For ABC radio interviews by Carol Duncan see: http://blogs.abc.net.au/nsw/2012/02/the-wallis-album.html?site=newcastle&…

Aunty Nola embraced by Tim Owen, Member for Newcastle

This video represents the highlights of the ceremony. Speakers include:

Mr Ron Ramsay, Director of the Newcastle Art Gallery
Mr Richard McGuiness, Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee
Aunty Nola Hawken, Awabakal Descendent and Traditional Owner
Councillor John S. Tate, Lord Mayor of Newcastle
Rob Thomas, President of the Library Council of New South Wales
Richard Neville, Mitchell Librarian
The Hon. George Souris, NSW Minister for the Arts
The Opening and Unveiling of the Wallis Album
Tim Owen, Member for Newcastle Presents Album to Aunty Nola Hawken
Dr Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive

Aunty Nola Hawken – Awabakal Descendent and Traditional Owner

Dr Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian & Chief Executive

According to Dr Alex Byrne, NSW State Librarian and Chief Executive:

The Wallis album is a sensational new addition to the Mitchell Library collection, the world’s largest and most renowned storehouse of records relating to the history of our nation…The State Library is absolutely committed to connecting the original documents of Australia with local communities, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with the Newcastle Art Gallery in sharing this object that has obvious historical and emotional significance to Newcastle.”

Dr Byrne speaking with Aunty Nola, Aunty Kerrie and Mrs Macquarie (Anne Creevey)

Sample page from the Wallis Album

Aunty Nola with family viewing the Wallis Album

This video was filmed and prepared by Gionni Di Gravio, University of Newcastle Archivist and Chair of the Coal River Working Party.

Aboriginal Burial Ground Discovered on Parry Street

Coal River Working Party researcher Mr. Russell Rigby today alerted us to a series of articles in TROVE relating to a discovery of Aboriginal remains on the corner of Parry Street (and the present Union Street) in 1881. They have been kindly transcribed by him and are located below.

The Newcastle Herald has not been yet digitised, but we have tracked down the series of reports as they appeared in the Newcastle Herald.

Discovery of Aboriginal Remains - NMH 9 June 1881 p.2

Discovery of Aboriginal Remains
(Newcastle Morning Herald & Miner’s Advocate 9 June 1881 [p.2])

Yesterday afternoon some workmen employed at the corner of Parry-street near the approach to the racecourse, came across, a few feet from the surface, a number of aboriginal skeletons. Three or four were exhumed from their sandy grave in a good state of preservation; one in particular – measuring 5ft 8in – being almost perfect, and enshrouded in a large sheet of tea-tree bark, the material generally used for such purposes by the blacks. Those already dug out were removed by Constable Smith to the lockup. Other skulls and bones are visible in the sand, and will probably be dug out to-day. Medical examination having proved them to be the remains of aboriginees (sic), and the Coroner, Mr. C. B. Ranclaud, having personal experience of the spot having many years ago been a general camping place and burial-ground of the blacks, no inquest is considered necessary.

***********************************************************

More Aboriginal Skeletons - NMH 10 June 1881 p.2

More Aboriginal Skeletons.
(Newcastle Morning Herald & Miner’s Advocate 10 June 1881 [p.2])

Yesterday morning a further instalment of aboriginal remains, discovered in Parry street, was lodged at the lockup. The bones, which are comparatively perfect, despite their long burial, clearly betray themselves as being those of the Australian blacks.

***********************************************************

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
NEWCASTLE.
WEDNESDAY.

The Corporation workmen employed in excavating  for the extension of Parry-street towards the racecourse unearthed to-day five human skeletons. They were found encased in sheets of ti-tree bark. The locality is known to have been many years ago a great aboriginal camping ground. The bones were much decayed, but the sheets of bark were excellently preserved.

Article identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13486213

Page identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1424736

APA citation
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.) NEWCASTLE. (1881, June 9). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13486213

***********************************************************

The Newcastle Herald states that on Wednesday afternoon some workmen employed at the corner of Parry-Street, near the approach to the racecourse, came across, a few feet from the surface, a number of abo- riginal skeletons. Three or four wero exhumed from their sandy grave in a good state of preservation, one in particular – measuring 5 feet 8 inches – being almost perfect, and onshrouded in a large sheet of ti-tree bark, the material generally used for such purposes by the blacks.

Article identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13478945

Page identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1424755

APA citation
NEWS OF THE DAY. (1881, June 11). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13478945

***********************************************************

John Egger, the Corporation waterman,  while engaged in excavating a street in Newcastle, yesterday, unearthed the remains of 500 [sic] skeletons, encased in sheets of bark. The bones were much decayed, but the bark was in excellent preservation. The locality has been known for many years as an aboriginal camping  ground.

Article identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71832095

Page identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page5653568

APA citation
LATEST TELEGRAMS. (1881, June 11). Northern Star (Lismore, NSW : 1876 – 1954), p. 2. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71832095

***********************************************************

Thursday, June 9.

A discovery of several blackfellows’ skeletons was made yesterday by workmen employed near the entrance road to the Newcastle racecourse. A few  feet below the sandy surface they unearthed four or five well preserved skeletons – some wrapped in ti-tree bark. They were removed to the lockup, but on examination no inquest was deemed necessary. A number of other skulls and bones are sticking out of the sides of the cutting, and they will be dug out to-day. The spot is well-known  to old residents as having been a regular burial ground and camping place for the aboriginals.

Article identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70956724

Page identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page5062550

APA citation
Colonial and Intercolonial Telegraphic messages. (1881, June 11). Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 – 1907), p. 9. Retrieved January 10, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article70956724

***********************************************************

The Location

By Russell Rigby

I have overlaid the 1894 Newcastle street plans on  a recent aerial photo to show where  the Racecouse Road turned off Parry Street.

Parry Street and Racecourse Road (Compiled by Russell Rigby)

Parry Street and Racecourse Road (Compiled by Russell Rigby)

The intersection was at a corner in the municipal boundary between Newcastle and Hamilton, and Racecourse Road ran westwards to the grandstands and finish post which were in the middle of what is now Newcastle High School.

Knaggs 1887 (Plan cropped)

The cropped image from Knaggs 1887 harbour chart shows that the intersection of Parry and Melville Streets was on a rise above the swampy ground  to the southwest, with a creek running into the swamp immediately south of the intersection from the high ground of Cooks Hill. The depiction of Parry Street does not change on charts for about 20 years, so they are not  reliable for defining the extension of Parry St.

In the early 20th century the racecourse was moved from National Park area to Broadmeadow, and the cricket ground shifted west from Corlette St to National Park, as part of the subdivision of the area by the AA Co.

The drilling rig shown in the 1898 Snowball photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/3270569951/ was probably set up on the
south-eastern side of the Parry/Melville St intersection. There may be other photos showing the general area.

***********************************************************

Discovery of Human Remains NMH 10 January 1888 p.7

DISCOVERY OF HUMAN REMAINS.
(Newcastle Morning Herald & Miners Advocate 10 January 1888 p.7)

It was reported to the police yesterday morning that Mr. William Parker, night scavenger, whilst emptying the closets of Messrs. Clark and Smith, of Parry-street, on Sunday night, brought forth two bones, which subsequently were found to be the shin-bones of a human being. Inspector Brennan immediately caused the bones to be taken of, and despatched constables Rochefort and Smith to have the closet thoroughly emptied, with a view to finding further remains of the human being. The constables in question lost no time in proceeding with the necessary grappling irons, &c., and instituted a search of the place, but could not find any other vestige of remains. In prosecuting their inquiries, however, they elicited the fact from Mr. Clark that it was he who had placed the bones in the closet some considerable time ago, that they were bones of an aboriginal, and were taken from an aboriginal burial-place near the racecourse. This statement was corroborated by ex-senior-constable Smith, who stated that these and other bones, including skulls, &c., had been removed some years ago from the place, which brought about the fact that they were evidently the bones of aborigines. We are glad the matter has been cleared up so satisfactorily, as the finding of human bones in such a place would at all events give rise to the supposition that some unaccountable termination had occurred to some human being. The shin-bones, which are in the possession of constable Rochefort, are of unusually large size, and of course are entirely denuded of flesh, as some years must have elapsed since the aboriginal of whom they formed portion closed his earthly career.

***********************************************************

FURTHER INFORMATION

While it doesn’t appear that a Coroner’s Report was ever made, it would be interesting to know what became of the human skeletons. I wonder if the relatives and descendants of Mr C.B. Ranclaud, Mr Clark, Constable Smith and Constable Rochefort would have any family information that has passed down through the years. If anyone has further information please get in touch with by leaving a comment on this blog.

It is very important that future developments in the area take note of the site’s history and potential for further archaeological finds.

Gionni Di Gravio
University Archivist
Chair, Coal River Working Party

Dr Jim Wafer – On the Hunter River – Lake Macquarie language.

Dr Jim Wafer is a member of the Endangered Languages Documentation, Theory and Application (ELDTA) group at the University of Newcastle, Australia, and has worked with Australian Aboriginal languages for the past 35 years. He is currently collaborating with Professor Hilary Carey on an edition of Lancelot Threlkeld’s translations into the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie language.

On 21 June 2011 Dr Wafer delivered this paper in the Friends Reading Room, Cultural Collections, Auchmuty Library.

A reply to Dr Wafer’s paper was delivered by Mr Raymond Kelly, Associate Lecturer at the Wollotuka Institute.

Abstract:

Lancelot Threlkeld, to whom we owe most of our knowledge of the Hunter River-Lake Macquarie language (HRLM), recorded almost no indigenous texts, but devoted himself to scripture translation. From a linguist’s perspective this might perhaps be considered a deficiency, since it deprives us of the opportunity to understand HRLM verbal art as it was practised by the speakers themselves. Nonetheless, it gives us the chance to investigate semantically HRLM’s approaches to the issues of human subjectivity with which the scriptures deal, and these are less likely to be encountered in indigenous stories and songs.

Threlkeld uses two different words to translate “soul”: maray and minki. The first of these occurs more often as a translation of “spirit”, and the latter as a translation of “sorrow, sympathy, repentance”. Both words are polysemous in HRLM, and the present paper will demonstrate the range of their allusions, in the context of Threlkeld’s translations, and attempt to draw some broader inferences about the HRLM understanding of subjective processes.

NSW Upper House takes action for the sake of our Aboriginal Heritage

MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN THE NSW UPPER HOUSE

LOSS OF UNIQUE ABORIGINAL HERITAGE IN NEWCASTLE WEST

That this House notes that:

1. Approximately one year ago a fast food restaurant costing $2.5 million was built in Hunter Street, Newcastle West, over one of the most significant Aboriginal heritage sites in New South Wales.
2. The Excavation Report for this site was not released until one month ago, almost a year after the restaurant was built, thus making its assessment of the heritage impact of the development redundant.
3. The Excavation Report found the site to be of “high to exceptional cultural and scientific significance” and should have been available before the restaurant was built so as to justify retention of the site as a state significant site of Aboriginal cultural heritage.
4. The site contained a significant number of artefacts, including ancient Aboriginal stone tools with unique stonework and campsite remains, which are over 6,000 years old, evidence of some of the earliest human settlement in the Newcastle area.
5. The site also included a large array of colonial-era artefacts.
6. Under the previous government Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permits, effectively permits to destroy Aboriginal heritage sites, were given at the rate of approximately 5 per week.
7. Members of the local Awabakal people have stated that the final excavation report “highlighted the lack of rigour in the state government’s assessment of Aboriginal heritage”.
8. No acceptable plan has been made for the retention and display of these unique artefacts in the local region.

That this House:

1. Recognises the irreplaceable nature of this state’s Aboriginal heritage and the value of Aboriginal artefacts, and acknowledges the tragic loss of Aboriginal heritage that this development has created.
2. Calls on the government to review the failings in the current Aboriginal heritage protection regime and consider measures to ensure that a similar tragedy does not occur in the future.

 

ORDER FOR PAPERS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN NSW UPPER HOUSE

ORDER FOR PAPERS

That, under standing order 52, there be laid upon the table of the House within 14 days of the date of passing of this resolution all documents in the possession, custody or control of the Minister for Heritage and the Minister for the Environment, or the Department of Premier and Cabinet, relating to the development of the KFC restaurant at 227-231 Hunter Street, Newcastle, including the former Palais site, and any document which records or refers to the production of documents as a result of this order of the House.

 

For more information: http://davidshoebridge.org.au/2011/06/23/nsw-upper-house-takes-action-on-aboriginal-heritage/

The Aboriginal Hunter (1993)

The Aboriginal Hunter Supplement to The Newcastle Herald Tuesday May 11 1993

 

The Aboriginal Hunter Supplement to The Newcastle Herald Tuesday May 11 1993

Aboriginal Archaeological Report for former Palais site released

Aunty Nola Hawken, Ann Hardy and archaeologist Alan Williams on the former Palais site in August 2009

In August 2009 we were very excited about the archaeological excavations being undertaken on the former Palais Royale site in Newcastle West.

We are proud to report that the first of two Reports have been released covering the Aboriginal history of the site. Over 5,534 Aboriginal artefacts were recovered, representing three Aboriginal occupation periods dating from 6,716-6,502 years BP (before present) and identified as a site of ‘high to exceptional cultural and scientific significance’.

SECTION 87/90 ABORIGINAL HERITAGE IMPACT PERMIT #1098622 EXCAVATION REPORT FOR SBA ARCHITECTS PTY LTD FINAL REPORT 13 MAY 2011 (11.4 MB)

We wish to thank everyone involved with this Project for the production of this wonderful report. We hope it will assist the wider community to fully comprehend the depth of history that lies beneath our feet, and the importance for that history to be understood, respected and safeguarded for future generations.

‘Community is poorer for burying its history’
by Gionni Di Gravio
Newcastle Herald 24 May 2011 p.11

A couple of years ago I was very excited to visit the archaeological dig at at the former Palais.

Back in 1825 this was the place (the then ‘Government Farm’) where the Rev. Lancelot Threlkeld spent his first year in Newcastle.  Within days of his arrival on 8th May 1825, Threlkeld and his young family had been robbed three times, and fearful of being robbed every night.

So you can imagine his relief when on the Wednesday evening of the 11 May 1825, he was eventually given a civilised welcome as the natives assembled around his house to cook up a kangaroo. After they had eaten, the Threlkelds were invited to see their dance. Threlkeld noted that when “they had concluded they thanked us for our visit and wished us good night.”

It was here that he heard the local dreaming stories, would witness healing rituals and a burial, and document numerous atrocities perpetrated against the local Aboriginal people.

It was here that he, and one of those natives, Biraban (or McGill), began a collaborative study into the local language, the first methodical study of an Aboriginal language anywhere in this country.

So it was thrilling to see a scientific report released this month 186 years after these events.

One small rectangular sample trench yielded over 5,500 artefacts, representing three waves of Aboriginal occupations dating from 6,700 years.  The archaeologists stopped digging 2 metres down, concluding the deeper they went, the more they would find that dated even further back deep into time. The upper strata of the dig represented the last 1,933 years of Aboriginal occupation that unfortunately had been obliterated by 200 years of European occupation.

So why get excited over a pile of stone tools?

Firstly we are nothing without history. It documents our achievements and our failures, and enables us to understand who we are, so we can avoid mistakes in future. It is impossible to write history without documentary records, and equally important that it is verified and corroborated by surviving physical evidence.

Without documentary and physical evidence you don’t have a case in a court of law, and neither do you have a case for a culture, without evidence all you have are tall stories.

As it stands, with regards to developments there is no publically funded archaeological research. Historians and archaeologists are in the direct employ of the developers who pay for them. They investigate, document archaeological finds, create reports that remain the property of the developer.

Is it right that our history has been privatised? These reports should be made public, so we can learn more about our history.

Without history, our community suffers, and like a patient with dementia we are confused and fearful. There is unfinished business here, and the sooner re-examine our shared memory, the healthier we will be.

This Land and its Aboriginal people did not suddenly come into being when a European ‘discovered’ it 1770, and neither did they both become someone else’s possession once pen hit paper on a map and acquired it for the Crown.

Threlkeld and his family were welcomed here with a barbeque and a dance, and the tradition would continue right up until the last days of Palais Royale where many people met and later married after dancing at that very spot.

We need to ask ourselves how different would we feel if these ‘rocks’ had instead been WW1 relics?

It was very fortunate for us, that on the 10 June 2008 such a discovery of rising sun collar badges was made in one of the burial pits during the excavation at Fromelles, in France.

The landowner, Madame Marie Paule Demassiet, not only allowed the archaeological dig on her private property, she gifted the land for an ongoing memorial.

It was a wonderful gesture to see good-hearted people hold our heritage is such high regard.

It would be great if we could extend the same respect to Aboriginal people.

Community Reaction

Cartoon courtesy of Peter Lewis and the Newcastle Herald

'History Junked' by Matthew Kelly Newcastle Herald 21 May 2011 p.1

'6500-year-old heritage junked' Newcastle Herald 21 May 2011 p.7

Click here for online version

Editorial - Newcastle Herald 21 May 2011

Artefact loss an act of 'genocide' by Ben Smee Newcastle Herald 21 May 2011 p.3

Click here for online version

'Community is poorer for burying its history' by Gionni Di Gravio Newcastle Herald 24 May 2011 p.11

'6000 years discarded' Letters to the Editor NH 24 May 2011 p.12

Afternoons with Carol Duncan – ABC Radio 1233 – Artefacts found under chicken shop

Contains interview with Julie Baird from the Newcastle Regional Museum and Gionni Di Gravio from the University of Newcastle’s Coal River Working Party who discuss the historical significance of the find, and what should happen to the artifacts recovered.

Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association – Archivist Gionni DiGravio speaks on CAAMA Radio (1 June 2011)

An Archaeological report which reveals one of Australia’s largest take-away restaurants was built on a significant Aboriginal site highlights a lack of respect for Aboriginal heritage, according to a university-based historical record-keeper.

David Shoebridge – MLC Greens Member Upper House NSW Parliament
- Press Release “Kentucky Fried Chicken destroys Aboriginal Heritage Site“
- Hansard – ‘Heritage and Development Control‘ 1 June 2011

Aborigines of the Hunter Region Kit

Aborigines of the Hunter Region Kit

Aborigines of the Hunter Region [Kit] was a resource kit created for teachers and compiled in the 1980s for the Department of Education.

It consisted of 7 booklets, 10 prints with questions, 45 slides (most in colour), notes to the audio visual materials and a sound cassette which included Perc Haslam speaking about the language of the local Aboriginal people.

The ultimate objective, therefore was to inculcate the children of the Hunter Region, and that encompasses many ethnic groups, with a respect for and an understanding of a race of Australian people.

The scholars responsible for the preparation of this work were:

Perc Haslam – Visiting Scholar (Aboriginal Studies) Newcastle University.
John Heath – Education Officer Aboriginal Grants. Member of the Awabakal Co-operative.
Bob Jakes – Raymond Terrace High School
Bryce James – Science Consultant, Hunter Region
Bill Needham – Science Teacher, Cessnock High School
Boris Sokoloff – Primary Teacher, Cardiff  North Primary School. Curriculum Perspective  Consultan t. (1983 – 1984 ) Hunter Region.
Helen Vaile – Social Studies Lecturer, Newcastle Colleae of Advanced Education
John West – Primary Teacher, CessnocK Primary School

Thanks to Melanie Patfield who digitised the Aborigines of the Hunter Region Kit for the University of Newcastle in November 2010.

Aborigines of the Hunter Region Booklet 1. Introduction ; Contents; Subject index ; Bibliography –Booklet 2. Australian prehistory, Aboriginal history — Booklet 3. Traditional Aboriginal society : economic and material culture –Booklet 4. Traditional Aboriginal society : social aspects — Booklet 5. Black and white contact –Booklet 6. Contemporary Aboriginal society — Booklet 7. Teaching strategies [7MB PDF]

Audio visual materials notes for teachers [664 KB PDF]

Prints. [Photographic study, traditional life] [25.3 MB PDF]

Slides. [Material culture ; Foods ; Ceremonial art sites, ceremonies and legends] [27.4 MB PDF]

Cassette, Side 1. Aboriginal language (33 min.) [10.3 MB MP3]

Cassette, Side 2. Contemporary Aboriginal Music [8.8 MB MP3]

Cassette, Side 2. Traditional Aboriginal Music [5.4 MB MP3]

‘The Midden’ is Launched

Students show an eye for design - Andrew Cavill's 'Midden' is launched

One of our final year Master of Architecture students Mr Andrew Cavill has, for the past year, been working on a design for an iconic interpretation, discovery and learning centre at the Coal River Heritage Precinct in Newcastle East. ‘The Midden’, as it has been called, officially went on Exhibition this week.

On behalf of the University’s Coal River Working Party we congratulate Andrew for the outstanding work and commitment he has undertaken for this project. We are delighted with his design and words cannot express the joy of seeing such a beautiful concept reach fruition.

We hope that it can inspire a refreshed approach to re-modelling our city’s birthplace.

I want you all to imagine a beautiful and iconic ‘Newcastle Opera House’ style building at the Coal River Precinct, birthplace of this city. At dusk, above our heads, the light cannon sculptures (as proposed in the Boyce Pizzey Cultural Tourism plan) illuminating our foundation stories, come into being one after another, these light beams culminating together in a central point or ‘star’ above the precinct and its Centre. On earth, the Conservatorium orchestra and choirs perform our sesquicentenary piece. This would be such a beautiful cultural happening for the City. We hope and pray that one day such visions can become a reality.

Gionni Di Gravio – University Archivist and Chair – University’s Coal River Working Party

Please Click here for the NBN News Story – ‘Visions for Newcastle’  featuring Andrew briefly speaking about his design. Broadcast Date: November 13, 2009.
http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/2009/11/13/visions-for-newcastle/

Exhibition Panel No. 1 for 'The Midden' by Andrew Cavill

Exhibition Panel No. 2 for 'The Midden' by Andrew Cavill

Two additions to the Virtual Sourcebook for Aboriginal Studies

Broughton, W.G. and Threlkeld, L.E. A Selection of Prayers for the Morning and Evening From The Service of the Church of England Intended for the introduction of publick worship Amongst The Aborigines of Australia, 1834. The Venerable W.G. Broughton M.A. Arch Deacon of New South Wales and its Dependencies. Translated Into the Northumberland Dialect by L.E. Threlkeld, 1834. [3.75MB PDF] Courtesy of the Mitchell Library. Thank you to Dr Jim Wafer for alerting us to its existence. We also sincerely thank Mrs Marjorie Raven, great grand daughter of the late Reverend Threlkeld for her permission to publish this manuscript online.

Bramble, Christine W. Relations between Aborigines and White Settlers in Newcastle and the Hunter District 1804-1841 with special reference to the influence of the penal establishment. Dissertation submitted as part of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Letters in History at the University of New England. January 1981. [4.24MB PDF] Made available for download with the kind permission of the Author.