Reflecting back to when I was a child, I remember being forever reminded that Australia rides on the sheep’s back. Whether at home, at school or repeatedly across various media outlets, we were ordered to ‘eat your lamb chops’!
Indeed we do and indeed we did but that’s not to ignore the other animals that fell in to step with the human driven development of Australia. The overland telegraph, spanning thousands of kilometres across harsh terrain, was built on the back of camels and horses. The hard labour of these animals (and of course the men and women) enabled communication with the rest of the world and therefore economic growth. One of the first industries to benefit from this technology was wool - deals to sell our merino fleeces to the UK mills flourished. And who was responsible for the hard labour of rounding sheep? Dogs of course. Dogs were and are the chess masters of mustering.
The works in this exhibition are a celebration of these amazing animals. A nod of honour to the silent workers of Australia. Maybe the saying ‘Australia rides on the sheep’s back’ should be amended to ‘Australia rides on the hoof and paw’.
Geoff Todd 2023
The exhibition runs from February 3 - 18 February
Please click here to download a digital catalogue