Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 10 : Record of press coverage, March 1982 - May 1984

ABOVE : Jamas Momll was a highly respected c,t,zen of Bowen when he died_i~ 1B65 aged 41 FROM PAGE 3 , The Aboriginals bclicv~-d,dta1 1he whiles \\ere dead members or their own tribes, come back 10 life again . "T/11• h11.1· 11111/ my.«•lf w,•r,• ~·laimtd 11.1 , ..lmi1·1·.< 11/1111,· trih,• - they camped abour .\fount 1://imt - and the captain and hi.1 ,..;Jj, "'"" .1i111ilarl,r claimed by tht triht be– /011gi11g to Cape ( ·1,,,,,.Ja11d." Nc"s of 1he stranded "hile people passed fr,1111 tribe 101ribe. and 1he 1\boriginal, l,lllk 1 hem around h) )rihll\\ t hi:111 off. staging one ~llrrnbtlrCC ;1f1cr :IIHllhi:r . "Thi.f h'flJ ('011ti1111C'd ,•,·,•11i11g ,1.f1,•r ,•1·c•11i11g JiJr ah,ml six or t'ight c1·c•ni11g., .Hlfct'J.,·fr('II', as ,,,,,,,_,;,•111arfr,•., Jru111 th,• nwr1• diJtw11 frih,•J t'{Wll' ill tu .\"l'I' th1• h't111d,·r.Jid p,•11rl,·, till tit,• mos/ ,/i\"lmlf knoh·n to tht'm hml J1•,•11 "·' · ThiJ k 'tH carri,·d on to .u,d, a l,•11g1J, thm h 'c• h,·ram,· "'t'tJri,•d 0111. and h 't' ,•xpr,•.ut•d our di.ti11di11mio11 to KV,' hut th,•y mmh• ,u umfrr.u,111d that 11,,•y ,,·011/d J.:i/111s if•n· ,lid not . . . alth,ml!I, h 't' hefi,,,·,•d th,•r did 1101 nu•an 111 do Jo ' only to ff'ight,•11 ·II.\ , " The ~un·1\·or, were able to sta~ together for abou1 ,i, mun1h,. even though 1hey had been claimed :i, "relatives" bv different 1ribes. But af1er a II hilc lhe 1ribes mo1·ed aparl and 1he 1'11i1e rc0plc were separated. Morrill":" saddened 111 h,:ar 11f the h,,y\ dealh nearl} 1110 year, alll'r" :trd,. The C:ap1:11n and Mr, Pi1ke1hle) J1ed "' 11ce~, :artcr that. 1111.1blc to wi1h,1anc.J ,he ngur, of lhl·ir n,1madir life. But .lf...·111111, M,1rnll \\,l:'11 bl..::-.:-.cd \\llh a tough cun.,t1tUtuH1 and. . dlihHJgh he :,, uffrrcJ rhcumat i:-.111 through !i>lceping 0 11 \\'Cl g round . he adar1ed remarkably well 10 hi, ne11 CXi:'llten1..·c. llc karnt th1..• native tongue and ,,a:-. :i keen nb~crvcr of ab,1ri1?in;il lll°l' a mJ l.'.u:-.1,1111:-., all of which Ill' r~Corlkd 111a n~ ~ l.':tr, af1en,:1rd., " '/'h1•1· /11'1' in trih1•, . 1'(1( I, 1nh1· ,;11•a J..1,1g a diJJ1•r,•n1 dwl,·1 I it n m lwrd/1 he· , 111/1•tl ,, dijfanll /angu"gl' I ('1111/d .,,wuJ.. 1·1ght '!I lh,•,w dial,·c1, Th,·y hun· 1w c'l1frj., th,• Jtro11g1•.,·1 i, th,• l1•11d1•r " Jc11Hl1) ~·tornll gradu:dl~ inl.'.rl!a.,l.'d hi, acccptancc b~ lhc blai:b and ad1il.'\'ed somc1hing akin ll• 1he ,1:itlh 0f :i (h1l.'1' • :11nong~1 them . Time rea:'loed Ill hav..: llh."U llllll,! rnr 111111 a:-. he wundcrcd with his tribe in the rcgi1.111 mm called lhe Burdekin. lie '"" con,1anll) nn thc lookout for signs of white people because he hoped hl return to i:1vi lisa 1ion. but from 1h" ,1orie, which filtered thrnugh 1he 1ribes he learned or 1he harsh 1rea11nent lhe blacks were receiving al 1he hand, or 1he cncruarhi ng whites. In December. 18n2. Morrill and his tribe were hunting kangaroo:-. in the Lower llurdekin "hen a gin 1old him or a shcrherd', hut :'ll hc had :-.ccn, :rnd two white men on horseback M\1rril l\ excitement al meeting hi:-. \l\\ll reoplc again was tempered by lhe 1huugh1 1ha1 they might mistake him for a native and , hool him ou1righ1. lie washed him,elf 1huruughly in a waterhole bcfurc cautiou~I) approaching the S1ocky11rd. and climbed 1he fence where lhe dogs could n,ll reach hi, bare leg:-.. By now 4ui1e unused 10 speaking En!,!li,h. Iii, lip, hahingly framed the "<>rds: "What d1t•c•r, shipmatt•J/'' J\ nrnn appea red al 1hc door or 1he hu1 and. s1ar1led 31 1he wild appeara nce of Mor– rill sit1ing on top or the fence, called 10 his male 10 bring guns. Jemmy Morrill cried ou1 in alarm: "Don't .1hoot' /'111 a British oh– jrct." He meant to say "subject, " bul his confusion is understandable. The shepherds 100k him inlo 1hc hut and ABOVE : Bronze sculpture " Jimmy Morrill and the Brolgas," now In the Ouoonsland Art Gallery, 1s by Aus1rahan sculptor Lindsay 0 aon. who undertook the work on a cornm1ss1on from P1uneer Sugar Mills. The sculpture 1s throe metros high. Daen loft Australia m 1949 and works now ,n Puerto Rico. g;i,·e him some damper :111d te:1. both uf \\·hieh h..: had I rou blc t..:un:-.u ming. I le ,, :1:-. ama,ed when 1hc, told him lhc date ,,a:-. Sumla ) . .lanuar1 ·25. IX(,,1 lie had been "lost" I'm 17 )Ca r:-.! Su Jemm, M11rrill rcl urncd hi l'ivili:'llil l llll\ . but nul wi1!1t)t1I MHlll.' :-.:u.J1h!:-.., ,II le:1v1ng the pc11ple who had .11..·i.::1..·ptetl him a:'11 their u,, n I h.- recilk " / her rh,·11 , wd, '},,,, 11·1// Jorgyr 11, 11/111g,·th1·r ' J1 1 l,,·11 I h 'II.\ 1·1111111,g a11·,11· th,· num I "'"' /1\'IIIJ.: 1\'l'tli h11n1 uut ayi11g. w did hi., gin, and ,,1•1·,•r,,I u.J the· oth,•r i:i11., 11ml n11•11 It wa., a l011d1i11,: ,\'t't'llt'. 'J'lw ;1•1111•111hra111"c u/ thf'ir p11,1 J.i11d11c ·.,, t'tlll/1' }111/ 1111011 m,· wu/ 411/11• uwrJtu\\'c'rt'tl 111,• There h'II.\ t1 dwrt ,·truggl,• ht'/h'c•,•n thl' jl't'li111,: oj /0\'1' I Juul /ur m,1· ul,I /ri,·nd., a,u/ l'OIH/llU1i011.,· am/ the tl1•,\lr1• 11111·1· m or,• tu '"'" Cl d\'i/,:,•d li/c, h'//frl, I'll/I he• hl'tll'T irnagined titan dt•saihc·d." Ii i:,, incredible :-.tor) :-.pre:nJ to the "'hitc i:ummu11i1y an<l. af1cr some cJay., "ith thl.' :'llhepherd:'11. the i:ummi~~ioner\ order! ~ e~coned him to Bnwcn where he received a hero's welcome. In Bowen, Morrill wa:-. given the po, t ol' bonded w;1rchousc keeper at thi: custom:-. house and ai:tcd as one ,1r thc crew uf the ... pilot boat there. I le 111arril.'d the P,,hi:e \1 ag1,tr:11c·., lh111,c111a1d. Fl1111 ,\1111 Hu,.... .11ul had nne .,1111 In .lanu:ir~. IXh-1. \•torri ll al'.l'.11111pan1ed C ic,ir~l.' Dalrymple\ c~pcd111tm 111 Rui:kin!!h:trn B:t) .1, .111 interpreter ,1nd. in A pril. IX<i5. he lldivcred 11, the 111:1,tcr nf the Ind the f1r,1 hnnded ~1111<.h ever In arrr,e at I hl' IIL'\\ ,l·ap,,rl 11r T11\\ 11'1\'ilk· S:idl ~. h1, harthh1p, h:1tl 11ncler111111l.'d hi, ilea Ith and Murrill li,,cd uni) l\\11 ~car, and 10 111onth:'II :1f1i:r h1., return frnm the wi lderrll.:~, I lr du:d al Bowen in October. IXli~. greatly 111trnrned b) 1h1..· bl:id:.:'11. and a high I~ rc.,pel'ted 111emb1.·r or the ,~ hi1c l'11111111uni1y. llc \\ :t:'114 1 )Car, old .kmmy Morrill \\ ,1, m t>rc 1h:111 :1n al'.l'.idcnta l hero. Ile h;1J pnHlli:'llc<l h1~ n:1tl\'l' fricnJ:-. th:11 he \\11tdd 11t1t f,1rgc t them and he wa:-. true tu hi:,, \\Urd. In the brief time " hid1 remained to him after hi, ;1rr1,·.al in B<mcn. he did hb bc:,,I tu inlerpn.!I lo I ill.' "l11t e:-. not unl y the Aboriginal language. but lhe thought:-., l:U!i-10111' an<l lifc:,,t~ k of the 11a11,·e people. There i, no d,1ub1 1ha1 through l11, inlcrventiun man) li\'C:'11 \\'ere ,avcd. ii1 - ... . . · • .<l , .. ABOVE : Bowen in nor1h Queensland. Th,s Is from a ph01ograph taken In 186 7. look,ng towards Port Denison