King Charlie
"King Charlie" (Charles Mallard jnr 1881-1952) by Chris D. (Canvas 2100 x 1600)
Portrait of the artist’s Great Great Grandfather in 1941 holding up a carved wooden figurine which was once attached to the stern of the ship Zuytdorp of the Dutch VOC trading company, which shipwrecked in 1712 on the Western Australia coast.
Charlie Mallard had a total of thirteen children with his wife Alice McMurray (tribal name Ngamba), and is the patriarch of one of the largest Aboriginal family lines is Western Australia.
In 1906, Charlie grappled with the option given to him by ‘White Authority’, to either denounce his Black Culture or have his children taken from him under the Government’s Native Protection Plan (Stolen Generation(s)). Any such “deal” would not guarantee exemption for any future grandchildren from being “Stolen”.
In 1952, after walking a long distance, Charlie laid down to rest under a tree. He placed his hat over his face, as he had always done, and he fell asleep but did not awake.
Figurine –
In 1712, the Zuytdorp shipwrecked on the Western Australia coast. Over 200 people were on board, of which all died either in the ocean or on land. The whereabouts of the Zuytdorp remained a mystery for over 200 years, but known only to the local Aboriginal People.
In 1927, Charlie, along with two of his daughters and their husbands, discovered and recovered items from the wreck site, including this particular figurine which is from the stern of the of the ship. The figurine is most notable by the carved woman’s face which is adorned with a wreath.
A persistent theory exists which suggests that the survivors of the Zuytdorp integrated with the Nanda Aboriginal Tribe of the area, thus making the Dutch the first Europeans to Colonise Australia, and not the English, but this has not been substantiated.
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