BOYD1968

Title: A message stick collected by Angela Boyd in Sydney

Description: Contribution from Angela Boyd 24.01.25: "I bought one, back in 1968, when I spent a year or two (aged 21!) working in Sussex Street, Sydney, for Alfa-Laval. Alighting from my bus from the Eastern Suburbs (i.e. down William Street), I would walk down a cross town street (could have been Bathurst Street) to the junction with Sussex Street - to turn left to Alfa-Laval. On the left, going downhill was the office (street level - in old Victorian build building) of a mission - Christian one who had a settlement for aboriginals in the Northern Teriritory. The building was rather deserted and musty looking - but, one day, some handmade aboriginal artefacts were displayed in the dingy window (displayed was probably a rather grandiose word for their being there!). In those days, Sydney was not really a tourist destination, and I thought I would a genuine artefact, so all I could afford then was the message stick. It is obviously hand made and painted and not made for tourists, as there were no tourists to aboriginal Christian settlements in the Northern Territory in those days. There is a barely legible signature on it. I would love to know more - if anyone could spare the time to look at the photos and give me any information about it.. and what the message is! I live in Somerset, England, and am also wondering what to do with this message stick."

Date Created: 1968

Notes on date created: Date of acquisition

Item type: message stick in a private collection

Media Files:

Data Entry: Piers Kelly