Sunrise over Djinjan in Jensen Bay, Marchinbar Island - the 'X' on Isenberg's Map
PastMasters Ltd - Prospectus -
We are in the process of seeking recognition of 'Charity' status which will enable us, as a 'not-for-profit' organisation, to seek Grants and Tax Deductible {DGR} donations to fund a range of outstanding 'shovel ready' research and commemorative projects which offer donors the opportunity to directly contribute to a project of personal concern or especial fascination.
Major Planned Projects
10th Anniversary 'Ancient Coins in Arnhem Land' Expedition 2023
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After a decade of searching & almost 80 years after Australia's oldest foreign artefacts were found - this will be the first expedition to the site where RAAF Radar Operator Morrie Isenberg found the Kilwa Coins in 1945.
A comprehensive metal detector survey with Minelab's new ZVT Technology will support an archaeological report to advance the public record of the five Kilwa coins. Any finds will be staying in the NT - in accordance with the wishes of the Traditional Owner and the Burra Charter. Discovery of the site in 2018 confirmed the intersection of the environmental & documented historical paths which was corroborated by Minelab metal detector finds. |
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This site is the terminal confluence of cascades of trends and determinants which coalesce at these sparkling spring-fed pools of freshwater that crop-out beside the sea around the north Australian coast - a necklace of Arafura Pearls. Some 100 nautical miles from the mainland - at 11degrees south of the equator - where else would oceanic voyagers mark their presence in the traditional way by scattering coins. This explains coins of VOC Dutch & Medieval African origin, being found at a single point of convergence in space, despite being separated by oceans of time.
Location, identification, survey and documentation of RAAF 312RS - Wessels Island Radar Station - will be undertaken to place upon the public record details of the three principal sites and ancillary infrastructure associated with this WW2 establishment which has been lost since 1945. |
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Particular attention will be devoted to the Yolngu who supported the Radar Station and the Coastwatcher, Winston John 'Jack' Jensen, who together played such an important role in the rescue of the survivors of the sinking of HMAS Patricia Cam - 80 years ago - in 1943.
Jensen Bay - Marchinbar Island - Wessel Islands - Arnhem Land
HMAS Patricia Cam - The Wreck site & The Grave site
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New historical research, an eye-witness account and discoveries during the 2019 Wildcard Expedition have shed new light upon the anomalies and conundrums that have conspired to keep these locations hidden for 80 years.
We plan to mount an expedition with sophisticated multibeam sonar and Minelab's deep ZVT Technology to find the war grave wreck and complete the search for the double grave of Percy Cameron & Milirrma Marika. We also want to help to get as many relatives as possible to the beach in Gurraka Bay. It is still a remote and challenging site but there are options which are currently being assessed. |
The survivors of the sinking of HMAS Patricia Cam
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Pat Cam Beach in Gurraka Bay - Wessel Islands NT - where the survivors came ashore in 1943 - where Percy Cameron & Milirrma Marika were buried.
Planned Research Projects
Long Macassans Nails
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These hand-made nails were found on a Macassan site which produced metal detector signals indicating that more nails are dispersed through the site. The opportunity exists to plot the nails against the extant stonelines, ash trenches and smokehouse features in an attempt to identify their purpose.
Perhaps they were bound onto joints in the frames as reinforcing or to anchor the frames to the Stones. There are reports of similar nails found at Port Bradshaw but as they make excellent spear tips it is unlikely that many have survived. Were they brought down as payment for the trepang or for the iron ore from which they are made - of value in themselves and as trade goods - why have they been left behind. The trade was effectively moribund by the mid-1890s and dwindled to a close in the 1906/7 season but there is still a great deal that can be learned from the sites before they are claimed by the sea. The cultural record is replete with references to the Murngin Metalworkers and the making of iron objects but the evidence is yet to be gathered though the implications for this line of research are significant. |
Rangers with the nails
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Iron ore ready for export at the canoe channel cut into the rock. In the bay seaweed gets a foothold on the piles of basalt ballast ejected in favour of the ore.
Wurrwurrwuy Stone Pictures
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The Dhimurru Rangers have protected and managed the site but Drone imagery & LIDAR is required to reveal the full extent of the archaeology which has not been fully recorded and a great many questions have yet to be posed before a satisfactory explanation can be expected and the site effectively managed.
Whilst there are reports of individual stone pictures there is nothing to match the scale and definition of this unique assemblage. The environs of Macassan Beach and suggestions in the oral history of a major event at this site - probably hold clues to the pictures and their preservation. If this history is to be placed on the public record then it needs to be addressed whilst the clues survive in the cultural record. |
Thought to be the bow of a Macassan Prau
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Wurrwurrwuy Stone Pictures - at right a fishtrap or a roundhouse - the central hearth & SE opening are suggestive.
Macassan Prau Wrecks
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The wreck of a Macassan Prau from the days of the Trepang Trade is 'the Holy Grail of marine archaeology in north Australia'. It was believed an unattainable goal as these slight timber vessels would inevitably fall prey to Teredo Worms, timber gathering natives, bushfires and white ants (termites).
The remoteness of northern Australia and sparse population mean that even if semi-hardwood timbers were to make it ashore, before the ship worms rendered it unrecognisable, there is only a narrow window for survival in a Goldilocks Zone between the sea and the land before the ceaseless degrading and prograding of the beach itself either covers the object or returns it to the hungry sea. The almost complete absence of metal aboard a prau conspires to make it vanishingly rare find despite there being records of many such losses and wreckage reported by 19th Century vessels. An extraordinary combination of circumstances has preserved the remains of a Samson Post that has been lightly charred and heavily attacked by Teredo Worms (bi-valve molluscs). The general domed shape is identifiable and the angled belaying grooves are clearly discernible. Entirely independent sources have provided observations and artefacts that match the historical record - which is itself composed of sightings and reports from multiple sources which confirm the date of the wreck of two Macassan Prau, the names of the vessels and their captains - along with detailed accounts of the wreck event and subsequent canoe voyage to reach safety and rescue. Reports identify other surviving pieces of timbers and artefacts which await discovery and recovery from an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria that is far less remote than most of the places on our 'To Do Map'. The site needs to be surveyed and artefacts matched to the historical record so that a report can be made announcing the discovery and measures for its protection - in consultation with the Traditional Owner. |
Macassan Prau Samson Post
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An island in the Gulf of Carpentaria
Fog Bay Cannon Ball
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The discovery of two bronze swivel guns and reports of other such artefacts at Dundee Beach are believed to emanate from a wreck in the vicinity - from which a stone cannonball was raised and returned.
The lead in the fabric of the swivel gun has been identified by Oxford University as originating in Andalusia in Spain & OSL dating of sand from within the barrel - by PastMasters Tim Stone & Matt Cupper - has put the weapon underwater for at least 300 years. An understanding of the predisposition of the environmental context is critical to understanding the finds and placing them in an historical continuum that will predict the location of additional finds. Our archaeologists believe this is our best chance of finding proof of Portuguese visitation to north Australia. |
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Dundee Beach - where the bronze swivel gun was found by Christopher Doukas
Pobassoo Island
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The place where Matthew Flinders made the famous encounter with the Macassan fleet in 1803 holds much 'contact history' - as well evidence of the wreck of an earlier vessel of European-style construction with square copper nails, though nonesuch is recorded.
This is an especially important Macassan site which deserves detailed survey and documentation. There is much to learn about the early years of the trade as this was the rendezvous for the trepang fleet which assembled here before and after entering the Gulf of Carpentaria prior to the western drift of the trade and a change in the route to and from Macassar on Sulawesi in modern Indonesia. The date of the earliest Macassan visitation is hotly debated because there appear to have been phasing and changes in what was being collected and where. Exported produce includes hardwood, turtle shell, pearls both fresh & saltwater - iron ore and 'wax' which is believed to be the residue of boiling down palms trees - all of which produce oil that is floated off as wax - a factor that is apparently unique to the Top End of Australia. The area is jointly managed by the Marthakal & Dhimurru Rangers so there is no shortage of willing helpers in this culturally and historically important environment. |
Knapped 19th Century wine bottle
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Pobassoo Island - 2019
Australians' Bay & The Cave of the Axes
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We have much work to do at the rock art site wherein is depicted Matthew Flinders' ship HMS Cumberland and the axes that he gifted "to the Australians".
In October 1803 Matthew Flinders was sailing the 29 ton Colonial Schooner HMS Cumberland from Sydney to London via the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait towards Mauritius. Sighting a gap in the Wessel Islands in the dying light, he saw the shoal water and turned to shelter in a bay at the SE corner of Marchinbar Island. Next morning Flinders was with a shore party chopping up a wrecked Macassan prau for firewood when a group of Aboriginal men wandered down to meet them and following a "friendly intercourse" - Flinders' final act on Australian shores was to present the axes to these Yolngu men whom he diarised as "the Australians". It is believed to be the first time that he formally applied that name to the people of the continent, after making its discovery. There is a section of the painted roof that has dropped intact - face down upon the sand. It is proposed to take an OSL sample in complete darkness from below before raising and photographing the panel. |
Detail - Cave of the Axes
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Cave art with scale - D'Stretch image - outline tracing and HMS Cumberland plans from Greenwich Museums
Kora Kora Whale Hunters
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This D'Stretch image shows what we believe to be a Wurramala Whaling Canoe which is pre-Macassan and represents the earliest depiction of a foreign vessel on the Australian Coast.
The location is adjacent to a source of permanent freshwater and significant cultural sites. The area requires a detailed survey both of rock art and other occupation/visitation areas in an effort to establish this image within an environment that archaeologically confirms the oral history sources.
The image of the Kora Kora (Big Canoe) displays a sophisticated use of perspective both in the depiction of the trapezoidal outrigger frame and the foreshortening of the mast.
The panel contains an European style three masted sailing vessel - a human figure and other supportive imagery. |
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Pestle & Mortar
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These two pestel & mortar sets were found by the deceased brother of the donor. They were found in the Wessel Islands by James Douglas McQueen, ashore from a RAN Patrol Boat in the mid-1970's - in a sand dune - beside a Tamarind tree skittled in a storm.
The finder was lost at sea and it is the wish of his family that they be researched and placed on permanent display in the Northern Territory. It is proposed that funds be sought to enable the carbon residue be C14 dated and the residue in the fabric also examined as much can be learned. If some antiquity is indicated then XRD may reveal the origin of the stone. Typologically they are SE Asian, Stone Mortar & Pestle (Ulekan & Cobek) widely used throughout Indonesia and Thailand. The finder was lost at sea and it is the wish of his family that they be researched and placed on permanent display in the Northern Territory. |
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Lt. Sanford P40 Kittyhawk wreck
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The extraordinary story of how an American Kittyhawk pilot missed Australia by 300 miles and managed to parachute to a tiny island off the Arnhem Land coast. His rescue by three members of the Marika families of the Rirratjingu Clan has become woven into the wartime tapestry of sacrifice and survival.
One of his rescuers would, within a year, become embroiled in the loss of HMAS Patricia Cam off the Wessel Islands where he would die of his wounds and be laid in a beach grave beside Stoker Percy Cameron. His identity and the location of the island grave remained a mystery until The PastMasters discovered a piece of ship's driftwood and followed the breadcrumbs. Sanford eventually recovered and returned to the States whereupon, after the war, he completed his medical studies and enjoyed a long and successful career as a surgeon. The precise location of Sanford's rescue is recorded in a story in language - "We found a white man on an island long ago" they saw him parachute down & his plane spiral down behind him. |
Lt. Clarence E. Sanford
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The Cave of the Crew
Charles Barrett advocated for national level heritage protection for this site which has been variously interpreted but appears to show six Royal Marines and four others painted at a different time and in a different style. There are several images in a much older style which make this potentially a most important site.
Whilst the general area in the Wessel Islands is known but the terrain is challenging and a drone survey is proposed as the next step towards rediscovery. The only ship known to have visited the eastern side of the Wessels is HMS Cumberland - it is not know whether her crew wore Royal Marine uniform but there were 10 men plus Flinders.
Whilst the general area in the Wessel Islands is known but the terrain is challenging and a drone survey is proposed as the next step towards rediscovery. The only ship known to have visited the eastern side of the Wessels is HMS Cumberland - it is not know whether her crew wore Royal Marine uniform but there were 10 men plus Flinders.
Charles Barrett Cave of the Crew image in Coast of Adventure
Proposed Commemorative Projects
Grave Markers Jack Jensen & Paddy Babawun
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It is proposed that suitable grave markers be erected at the Darwin General Cemetery for Petty Officer Winston John Jensen RNR and Native Pilot Paddy Babawun Wanambi of Milingimbi who were pivotal to the survival of the men following the sinking, by enemy action, of HMAS Patricia Cam.
Paddy sons are delighted at learning the location of Paddy's grave and the descendants of the survivors of the Pat Cam are anxious to see that these two men are suitably commemorated - perhaps with individual grave markers and a shared plaque at the entrance to the cemetery. Efforts continue to identify family of Jack Jensen in north Queensland. |
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Darwin General Cemetery where Paddy Babawun & Jack Jensen are interred.
The Lambrick children's Grave Markers - Port Essington
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Emma Lambrick's monument at Port Essington marks the earliest known white woman's grave in North Australia. We'll work with the Lambrick family in the UK & the Black Rocks Rangers to reinstate the lost Lambrick Children's grave markers at Port Essington.
The painting below by the settlement's commandant, John Macarthur, shows a man in the uniform of the Royal Marines standing before the obelisk which is between 2 small graves marked by an urn on a plinth and a conventional stone. GL Lambrick died in 1845 at one year old & their baby, born that year, died in Nov. 1846 perhaps as a consequence of birth trauma. Their mother, Emma Lambrick, died in October 1846 - her husband, George, was a Lieutenant in the Royal Marines promoted to Captain in October 1848 and subsequently to the rank of General. It is possible that the original inscription is on what is now the back of the monument and so unexamined or beneath the shoulder addition facing the artist. Noted also is the ornate and substantial top to the square monument at the extreme left. This is now missing and instead there is a crude inscription to Captain Crawford probably appended erroneously in 1913. This would explain the uncertainty that has arisen over the location of Father Confalonieri's grave and prevented his relocation to Darwin. The stone is white sandstone darkened by cyanobacteria - it was likely originally intended as the Point Smith marker which was subsequently built of local beach rock from the immediate environs. |
Emma Lambrick monument Victoria PE
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George Lambrick at the grave of his wife Emma and two of their children - NLA by John Macarthur RN
Darwin for Darwin
An engaging bronze statue of a young Charles Darwin for the young City of Darwin. He was with HMS Beagle for 5 years - when at last he stepped ashore in England he was still just 27 years of age. It was his ceaseless geologising that brought their old shipmate to mind at seeing the fine Porcellanite Sandstone in Port Darwin - his search for fossils split time to previously unimaginable eons - wide enough for natural selection to take its course. A competition is proposed along the lines of the one which resulted in the Flinders Statue at Euston Station & Flinders University - on a porcellanite plinth - naturally.
Each of the individual projects takes us within reach of other targets which are yet to be confirmed. It is axiomatic that if you seek - you shall find - though no suggestion of any correlation between the two. All the discoveries and collaborative efforts build towards a body of heritage that has the potential to create a world-class resource for the future benefit of the people of Arnhem Land and the enrichment of the Australian nation. There is much than cannot yet be disclosed and significant cultural sensitivities around certain aspects but there is a vast amount that exists within oral history and is susceptible to re-interpretation and many great sites that have not been visited since distant childhood and are only know to be in a general area. The early history is recorded in these painted caves and the stories flash back when feet are set once more upon the sacred sand - getting there is the problem.
Sunset over Jensen's Bay, Marchinbar Island NT