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MokarePrint Page
The sculpture commemorates the aboriginal Mokare in recognition of the role he played in the peaceful coexistence between the Noongar people and the first European settlers.
This statue was erected in 1997 as a reconciliation project by members of the Albany community and funded by the Aboriginal Affairs Department and the town of Albany. The statue has been vandalised several times.
The Alison Hartman Gardens underwent a major redevelopment in 2019, and the sculpture was repositioned and is central to a circular paved area and garden. The installed artwork was produced by local Menang Noongar artists, and explores the local culture and details Mokare’s legacy. Noongar artist Donna Williams led a project to create the tiles on the bench seats, and the six art pieces adjacent represent the Noongar seasons.
Mokare and his brother were house guests of Alexander Collie the resident magistrate and Mokare was interpreter and guide during an expedition to the Porongorups in April 1831. The brothers were Collie`s informants for an essay on the Aborigines of King George Sound published in the Perth Gazette in July-August 1834. The article described the illness of Mokare and his death on 26 June 1831. When Collie was dying in 1835, he asked to be buried alongside Mokare.
The graves were disturbed during construction of Albany Town Hall in the twentieth century and some remains, presumed to be Collie`s, were interred in the pioneers` cemetery, Albany.
Location
Address: | York Street, Alison Hartman Gardens, Albany, 6330 |
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State: | WA |
Area: | AUS |
GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.022591 Long: 117.883031 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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Monument Theme: | People |
Sub-Theme: | Indigenous |
Artist: | Terry Humble |
Dedication
Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 18th April, 1997 |
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MOKARE “A MAN OF PEACE”
1826
In Recognition Of The Role Mokare Played In The
Peaceful Coexistence Between The Noongar People
And The First European Settlers
A Reconciliation Project Jointly Funded By The
Aboriginal Affairs Department And The Town Of
Albany
This Plaque Was Unveiled By Noongar Elder
Mrs Margaret Williams And Her Worship The Mayor
Mrs Annette Knight, AM, JP.
On The 18th April 1997
Tiles Produced By School Children Of The Great
Southern Region
Sculptor Terry Humble