Artist’s Statement

I had heard of the tragic events that took place outside the small village of Appin in 1816. After further research I discovered that Grenadiers of the 45 Regiment under the command of Captain James Wallis had been dispatched from Liverpool by Governor Macquarie to deal with a band of outlawed Aborigines who had been in conflict with settlers. The militia travelled down The Cow pastures (now Cowpasture Road), eventually reaching William Broughton’s farm near Appin on the night of April 16. During the course of the night the line of troops shot and chased the Dharawal people they encountered, down and over the cliffs of the ravine. In the morning they had killed at least fourteen members, including women, children and a number of elders. Only two women and three children survived. The skulls of two of the men who were beheaded have been recently returned from overseas.

I have tried to explore this tragic event by the sensitive treatment I have explored in illustrating this event. The surface was first covered in layers of gesso mixed with collected sands and coloured ground ochres. This gave it a rough, rock like surface to work on. I used traditional materials, charcoal and chalk to sketch in the composition of two of the sites I visited. The colours were deliberately muted to reflect the sombre occasion and the event taking place in the gloom of the evening. This was over-painted, as were the figures of the soldiers with oil paint to represent the European tradition. I have kept a degree of ambiguity in the figures and location as reflected in the facts around the incident.

Price (unframed) Each AU$1100

Packing and shipping not included

 Trevor Hall