RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.
This excursion followed the route taken by a Tasmanian Government expedition led by the Deputy Surveyor General Charles Sprent in 1887 and documented by James Backhouse Walker.
A full day road trip from Ouse to Queenstown in the footsteps of artist William Piguenit who was one of the six-person party who followed the Linda Track in 1887 to Queenstown. Participants learned about some pioneers and convicts of the time from RST member John Carswell, experienced bushman, geologist and history lover. Stops were made at sites where Piguenit sketched the rugged west coast landscapes for some of his iconic paintings.
William Pigeunit’s work featureed prominently in the RST Queenstown Hidden Treasures exhibition that opened 6 March. The Linda Track in part follows the track established by James Calder for the 1842 Sir John Franklin expedition to Western Tasmania and the probable escape route of the cannibal convict Alexander Pearce in 1822. The track starts at Lake St Clair, a popular location for landscape artists in the 19th Century including Piguenit, and finishes at the King River.
The excursion will follow the Victoria Valley Road and Lyell Highway from Ouse and will include:
• Visit to and lunch at Lake St Clair (lunch at own expense)
• Description of Pearce’s escape, the Franklin expedition, Strzelecki’s trip to Macquarie Harbour in 1842 and Gould’s expeditions in 1860/62
• Inspection of remnants of the Linda Track
The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.
On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.