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ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 39 | June 1999


The collections

Shadows in the Dust: a Contemporary Portrait of Aboriginal Station Life

In September 1998, the Pictorial Section acquired a beautiful collection of exhibition photographs taken by Peta Hill, a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker. While working as a jillaroo in the Cape York Peninsula region of Australia between 1987 and 1996, Peta documented Aboriginal station life.

The 57 photographs in this collection record various types of cattle station activities including mustering, cutting-out cattle, branding and improvising yards in the bush. Recreational activities and living conditions in the outback are included as part of station life, while the day to day interactions between various age groups and the bonding of family members and station workers is revealed with affection and humour.

This acquisition complements the Axel Poignant photographs of the lives and customs of the Northern Territory Aboriginal people taken during the period 1946 to 1952, and the Frank Johnston collection of cattle industry photographs, predominantly of northern Australia, taken between 1951 and 1961.

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Please address any comments and enquiries to The Editor, Gateways: lkirwan@nla.gov.au

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