Map Matters. News. Issue 21 June 2013

Transcription

1 Map Matters I s s u e 1 Issue 21 June 2013 Inside this issue News p.1 Welcome From the New Editor p.1 The Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial, Mapoon Welcome to the Autumn 2013 edition of Map Matters, the newsletter of the Australia on the Map Division of the Australasian Hydrographic Society. This is my first issue of Map Matters as its editor. In an unguarded moment I agreed to take it on when Frank Geurts expressed his wish to retire. p.4 Publication of The Duyfken: Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial p.5 The German Take on the First Fleet p.8 Search for the Deadwater Wreck What the Remote Sensing Found p.9 Yet More Unrecognised Voyages to Australia in the 17 th and 18 th Centuries p.10 A Window on Australia p.10 AOTM Division Monthly Meetings Contacts p.10 How to contact the AOTM Division Like Frank, I was born in Netherlands, so English is my 2 nd language (actually my 4 th I learned three other languages first). However, I did study and work for many years at an American university, so I ve had plenty of practice writing in English. Even so, American English usage is a bit different from Australian, and although I think I ve assimilated rather well, some Dutch or American influence might show. I hope that this will not reduce the interest and enjoyment you will get from reading Map Matters. I certainly intend to enjoy editing it. If you have any contributions or suggestions for Map Matters, you can them to me at: mep@pcug.org.au, or post them to me at: PO Box 1696, Tuggeranong, ACT 2901 Marianne Pietersen Editor News The Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial, Mapoon, 27 May 2013 On 27 May, a warm balmy day at Mapoon in the north of Cape York, I had the great privileged of witnessing a very historic moment, the unveiling of the First Contact Memorial. This Memorial is a tangible acknowledgement of arguably the most significant event in Australian history, while at the same time incorporating a fundamental expression of the ideals of practical reconciliation. The Memorial signifies the arrival of Europeans in Australia, when the Duyfken, under the command of Skipper Willem Janszoon and Supercargo Jan Lodewijkszoon van

2 Roosengijn, visited the coast of west Cape York in They made landfall at the mouth of the Pennefather River, just south of Mapoon, and charted almost 300 kilometres of the coast, the first chart of any part of Australia. During that and subsequent voyages there was a degree of contact between the Aboriginal communities of Cape York and the European visitors, which at times ended in conflict. The First Contact Memorial (Photo: Rupert Gerritsen) Later, the British, and then non-indigenous Australians, progressively intruded into the area, again producing conflict, disrupting traditional ways of life and imposing upon the local population. A mission was established at Mapoon in 1891 but in 1963 the Queensland government forcibly removed the traditional owners to a new settlement near Bamaga, 200 kilometres to the north, close to the tip of York. But in the mid-70s those families began to move back of their own volition and they began to rebuild their community. In the meantime the voyage of the Duyfken in 1606 began to gain wider recognition in the Australian community. The Royal Australian Navy in 1957, at the request of the Royal Australian Historical Society, erected a stone cairn, with a plaque, commemorating the voyage at Duyfken Point, just north of Weipa. The construction of the Duyfken replica, completed in 1999, was a further manifestation of this growing recognition. As part of the Duyfken replica's first voyage, they re-enacted the original journey from Banda to Cape York in When they reached in Pennefather River in June 2000 they were greeted by representatives from the west Cape York Aboriginal communities and a dramatic ceremony was conducted, in which the past was acknowledged and peace was made. In 2002 the communities of Aurukun, Mapoon, Napranum and Weipa founded the Western Cape Cultural Centre and decided upon a regional theme of 'First Contact Country'. During the 400 th anniversary commemorations of the original Duyfken's voyage in 2006, a Dutch Parliamentary delegation visited Mapoon and the President of the Dutch Senate, Yvonne Timmerman-Buck, suggested in a speech that there ought to be a permanent memorial to first contact. The local community took up this suggestion and a committee was formed. Because Mapoon is the closest settlement to Pennefather River it was decided to place it at Mapoon. Following lengthy discussions and consultations between the Mapoon community, and

3 the Dutch and Queensland governments, the nature of the Memorial was agreed upon. The actual site was nominated by two Tjugundi Elders, Mrs Harriet Flinders and Mrs Alma Day. Considerable thought went into the design, which not only depicts a stylised outline of the Duyfken but has plaques outlining some of the local contact traditions. As part of the memorial complex plants that have spiritual, symbolic and practical significance for the people and places in the region, have been planted and will form a garden. Some large companies, such as Rio Tinto Alcan and Van Oord Australia, the Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council as well as numerous small businesses, local organisations and individuals contributed financially and in-kind to the erection of the Memorial and the creation of the memorial precinct. As a representative of the Australia on the Map Division of the AHS, and editor of the booklet published in association with the unveiling of the First Contact Memorial, I was invited to attend the unveiling. I travelled to Weipa on 26 May and joined the official party in Weipa. The following morning we drove 80 kilometres along a gravel road to Mapoon where we were greeted by Mayor Peter Guivarra and senior Council staff. From there we proceeded to the First Contact Memorial for the formal unveiling. What gave this event special significance was the fact that it was taking place at the beginning of Reconciliation Week. The Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial (Photo: Rupert Gerritsen) The formalities began with a welcome to country by the Mapoon Elders and the singing of the Australian and Dutch national anthems, which was followed by a series of spectacular dances by local school children, culminating in a dramatic gesture in which any evil spirits were cast away evil. Following a prayer, speeches were then given, firstly by the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AC, followed Mr David Kempton MP, representing the Premier of Queensland, Mr Fred de Graaf, President of the Senate of the Netherlands, and Mayor of Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council, Mr Peter Guivarra. The Memorial was then unveiled by the Governor, the Mapoon Elders, Mr de Graaf and Mr Kempton. It was a very moving moment. At the conclusion the Mapoon Campus Western Cape College Children's Choir sang a traditional farewell hymn in English and the local language. With the ceremonials over,

4 many photos were taken before we all adjourned for a sumptuous morning tea. [l-r] David Kempton, Elder Alma Day, Ambasador Ruigrok, Governor Wensley, Fred de Graaf, Peter Guivarra and members of the Descendance Dance Group (Photo: Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council) The unveiling of the Memorial was not the only important event in Mapoon that day, after morning tea we attended a landmark event for the community, a handover ceremony of the Deed of Grant in Trust. This vested control of the community's lands in a community corporation. After lunch the official party then visited the local school, where awards were handed out by the dignitaries, then the Land and Sea Centre, a wetland and the shores of Port Musgrave, before returning to Weipa late in the afternoon. It was quite a long, but immensely satisfying day. Rupert Gerritsen Publication of The Duyfken: Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial Last December the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherland requested the assistance of the Australasian Hydrographic Society in the production of a booklet, intended to be published in conjunction with the unveiling of the First Contact Memorial. The Embassy made funds available and it was agreed by the Executive that the Australia on the Map Division would take responsibility for this, and I was appointed editor. Some contributions had already been sought and provided, including one from me, when I took on the role. However, as with any publication, a lot of work is involved. There was much negotiation about style and content, additional contributions had to be solicited, graphic design arranged and printers contacted for quotes. But, with the deadline for the unveiling of the First Contact Memorial looming, the booklet was completed and printed.

5 Cover of The Duyfken: Unveiling of the First Contact Memorial The booklet contains a series of introductory texts by the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley, Ambassador Annemieke Ruigrok and the Mayor Mapoon, Peter Guivarra. These are followed by two historical essays relating to the Duyfken by historians Colin Sheehan and Evan McHugh, and then an extended account of a local contact tradition by Jack 'Spear' Karntin. The final three contributions are by myself, on the growth in awareness of the Duyfken's voyage from first contact to the present, Graeme Cocks on the building and adventures of the Duyfken replica, and finally historian Geoff Wharton, on how the Memorial was conceived, developed and built. To promote awareness of the First Contact Memorial and its historical and cultural significance, it has been arranged, through the AHS, for me to undertake a series of lectures in Canberra and all state capitals in coming months. The first of these lectures was given at the Australian National Maritime Museum on 28 May. If you wish to obtain a copy of the booklet, which is free, you can either send a SAE with $1.80 postage to the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, 120 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla, ACT 2600, or simply attend one of the lectures. Rupert Gerritsen

6 The German Take on the First Fleet The imminent departure of the First Fleet under the command of Arthur Phillip, to found an English colony at Botany Bay, was reported in the Wiener Zeitung of 20 January, (See copy below). Vienna being the capital of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, its citizens could be expected to take an interest in such a remarkable and unprecedented enterprise undertaken by a European state. The Southland was still virtually Terra Incognita in Europe, its outlines having only recently and tentatively been traced on the map of the world. 'The enterprise is in every respect of the greatest importance', the article noted. Drawing on classical allusions to the founding of Rome and Carthage by outcasts and fugitives, the writer of the article foresaw a great future for the colony. The colonists would intermingle with the Southlanders and eventually erect a flourishing state that would prove to be very advantageous for Europe. The article reflects views on the new colony that were prominent at the time, in England and among England's European neighbours. They are useful to recall now as they are the authentic voice of the times, in contrast to some more recent interpretations that the Botany Bay colony was no more than an exercise in removing the undesirables of English society as far as possible from the motherland. As the article points out, the choice of colonists to be sent was not haphazard, and only those who showed promise of being able to become good settlers were picked. Interest in the colony remained high in Germany, and accounts such as those of Watkin Tench and Phillip's own narrative of the expedition were translated into German as soon as they were published. Robert J. King

7 Article in Wiener Zeitung, 20 January 1787 Translation: Wiener Zeitung, Saturday, 20 January Great Britain. Commodore Philips, Commander of the remarkable expedition to Botany Bay, can now hoist his flag on the Syrius man-o-war. The number of designated ships in Portsmouth increases daily but, by a precautionary order of the government, all convicts who have been condemned to Botany Bay, but shown themselves unruly and rebellious in the gaols, have been kept back, and only peacefully minded criminals embarked, the turbulent spirits to be sent to the new settlement in Africa. Various chests with mirrors, corals and other trinkets are taken on board, with which the new colonists are looking to attract the affections of the Southlanders. The enterprise is in every respect of the greatest importance. The Legislation, as specified by the Act, on the one hand exonerates the country of the outcasts of society, and perhaps at the same time works on the other hand through the betterment of these people to make them useful to humanity and the kingdom. The new conditions into which these people are cast must necessarily act to advantage on their frame of mind. When they accustom themselves to the climate and treat the savages, as one may hope, according to the instructions and prudent measures of an enlightened and wise government, so eventually they may also erect a flourishing state, as did a band of not much better men with Rome and the Roman Empire or as, on a wild coast by a runaway wife [Dido] with her maidens, was Carthage erected. Like them, the English will intermingle with the savages and gradually teach them their arts and sciences, and then the discoveries of bold mariners, which hitherto have been only for the satisfaction of the curiosity of the learned, will be useful for the people of that place and, through new connections, advantageous for Europe. Robert J. King

8 The Search for the Deadwater Wreck - What the Remote Sensing Found Readers of Map Matters will undoubtedly be aware of a project entitled 'Search for the Deadwater Wreck'. Based on 19 th century eyewitness accounts, it seems that there had been a wreck, possibly from the 17 th century, possibly Dutch, lying in the Deadwater, a part of the Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary north east of Busselton in Western Australia. The wreck was, well wrecked, by pilfering, salvage and sand mining between 1860 and the 1970s, so it was thought very little remained, and what did was most likely buried under at least a metre or two of sediment. With generous financial support from Lotterywest, last October the remote sensing phases took place, with the intention of trying to detect the remains of the vessel. This entailed a magnetometer sweep of the search area (100 m x 600 m), followed by another sweep using teams of volunteer metal detectorists. The terrain was difficult for all, being underwater or swampy in parts, or covered in scrub in other areas. The everpresent danger of tiger snakes and Christmas spiders added to the challenges. Some of the more difficult terrain (Cosmos Archaeology, 17 October 2012) Now the results are finally in as we recently received the final report from Cosmos Archaeology. In all 19 magnetic anomalies were detected, scattered throughout the search area, as can be seen in the image below. Some clusters occur and all are over one metre deep. There is no clear indication as to what these signals may actually be. As mentioned in the last Map Matters (Summer 2013), a team of volunteer metal detectorists was assembled by Bob Sheppard of Heritage Detection Australia to take part in the second part of the remote sensing. To use a whole team of detectorists in an archaeological survey is quite an innovative step in Australian archaeology.

9 Artefact ZS029 - 'Unidentified iron object' (Cosmos Archaeology) This was a near-surface survey, restricted by agreement with the Maritime Archaeology Department of the WA Museum to only excavate any finds to a depth of 200 mm. As mentioned previously, a lot of debris from the small-scale sand mining as well as modern detritus was encountered. But there were a number of intriguing finds, in particular an 'unidentified iron object'. What that is remains to be seen. This phase of the overall project is now complete. However, that is not the end of the story. Excavation may be required to determine the nature of the buried material, but that could be difficult as it all lies below the water table. Issues relating to shipwrecks legislation may also arise, and so responsibility may pass to others, or a joint project may be considered. Only time will tell. Rupert Gerritsen Yet More Unrecognised Voyages to Australia in the 17 th and 18 th Centuries The Summer 2013 issue of Map Matters (20:6-7) contained an article on the Immenhorn, a previously unrecognised voyage to Australia in In the course of my research I recently stumbled across references to five, possibly six more ships, all Dutch, that seemed to have visited our shores in the 17 th and 18 th centuries. The information on the earliest, the Eenhorn in 1619 is ambiguous. However, the facts about the next three, the Wapen van Enkhuizen in 1623, the Zeeburg in 1628 and the Banda in 1636, are more certain as they come from a reliable source. But the original sources need to be tracked down to confirm this, and endeavour to glean more information - where did they go, did they chart any of the coast and did anything of note occur? Lastly, two late voyages in 1755 and 1765 are mentioned in Heeres' 1899 compilation, The Part Borne by the Dutch in the Discovery of Australia. Alas, he thought they were of little note, and so didn't provide names for the ships or any other details. All these voyages are now being investigated, and so at this stage all I can say is, 'watch this space'. Rupert Gerritsen

10 A window on Australia This is a second photo of several taken in 2012 by Marianne Pietersen at the State Library of South Australia. It is a glass map featuring the Carte Generale de la Terre Napoleon, a la Nouvelle Hollande, by Louis de Freycinet. This was originally published as part of volume 1 of Voyage de Découvertes aux Terres Australes in Notable feature is the use of French names in application to features and coasts charted by Matthew Flinders (e.g. Île Decrès for Kangaroo Island), giving rise to a heated dispute about French usurping Flinders precedence. The map also shows kangaroos, grass trees, a lyrebird and more typical flora and fauna. Photos of a couple of other such maps will feature in forthcoming issues of Map Matters. AOTM Division Monthly Meetings Members welcome Meetings of the Australia on the Map Division Council are open to all AOTM members who can and would like to attend. Meetings are held on the first Friday of the month, at 1.30pm in the Brindabella Room on the 4 th floor of the National Library of Australia in Canberra. Contacts How to contact the AOTM Division For more information go to the AOTM website, onthemap.org.au Australia on the Map Division, Australasian Hydrographic Society Chair: Rupert Gerritsen rupertgerritsen@oz .com.au Secretary: Peter Reynders pbreynders@yahoo.com.au Map Matters Editor: Marianne Pietersen mep@pcug.org.au 2013 Australia on the Map Division, Australasian Hydrographic Society.