BASIL HART & MARK DANN, MENTORED BY TROY BENNELL, KULGUTY (MEETING PLACE), 2010
Location: Collie Visitor Centre, 154 Throssell St (inside)
Each year, the traditional Noongar people of this area would travel through the countryside following the seasons and settling where food was plentiful. After a stint inland, they would gather in an area like the one depicted in this artwork to wait for the orchids to flower. It was at this time they knew to follow the nearby Brunswick River to the coast where the fish would be running. Images of Noongar ancestors can be seeing the trees framing the artworks as a mark of respect for those that have passed.
The left-hand panel depicts a camping ground where the Noongar people would hold corrobarees involving traditional singing, tapping sticks and dance. There was always a fire burning for warmth, cooking and light. The water represents the Brunswick River.
The central panel shows the diversity of flora and fauna native to the area. When the trees used to blossom, there were spider and donkey orchids, berries, gumnuts and flowers. The Noongars knew there was feed in the river. Marron, crabs and cobblers all lived in the Brunswick River which then flows into the Collie River and continues into the estuary near Eaton.
The right-hand panel shows Noongar people leaving the campsite and travelling closer to the coast. The place they set up camp is known as the Kingston area today. This is something they did each year as they followed the feed and the seasons. This areas was a campsite for the local Noongar people who used it as a place to stop on their way to the coast. They walked along the Brunswick River and then the Collie River before continuing onto the estuary around Australind / Eaton.
Collie Visitor Centre access information and opening hours
About the artists:
Troy Bennell has travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia, as an artist, cultural performer, gallery curator and ambassador for tourism in Australia. Proud of his Noongar heritage, his country and the place where he grew up, Troy has combined those passions into Ngalang Wongi Aboriginal Cultural Tours and uses his skills in tourism and story telling to promote his greatest passion his homeland and the cultural heritage of his people.
Very much a family affair, members of Troy’s family, both elders and young people will occasionally join the tours, bringing their own unique, intergenerational perspective to the Ngalang Wongi story.
As an acclaimed Australian artist, Troy has been involved with many of the public art projects in and around Bunbury. Closest to his heart are those that celebrate and commemorate the historical and cultural contributions of the local Noongar people in the region.
Troy also works extensively with local Indigenous youth and is involved in developing ‘on country’ programs aimed at helping at risk young people through interaction with positive role models from within their local community.
Troy mentored Basil Hart & Mark Dann in the painting of this mural.
Images: Taj Kempe
THE COLLIE MURAL TRAIL
