World War II supply ships, Darwin

Two supply ships at Darwin being unloaded by Aboriginal labourers during the Second World War. Before the completion of the Stuart and Barkly Highways, the bulk of supplies needed for the troops arrived at Darwin by ship. As a result of the wartime labour shortage and increased demand for services and goods, Aboriginal labour became indispensable to war activities such as unloading ships and was sought after by the Army, thus freeing soldiers for defence activities requiring military skills. Aboriginal labourers were engaged in a wider range of unskilled and semi-skilled jobs than they had previously been offered.

Gela Nga-Mirraitja (Paddy Fordham Wainburranga) was born at Bamdibu in Central Arnhem Land in the early 1930s. He belonged to the Mirraitja clan, Rembarrnga language group. In his late teens he started work as a stockman, traveling from station to station in the Victoria River Downs and Murranji areas of the Northern Territory. At Gorrie Station he was given the name Fordham by the station owners.

Working in both the traditional media of ochres on bark and later acrylics, Gela Nga-Mirraitja is one of the few Arnhem Land artists who painted historical events as well as the Dreaming mythologies. He was about twelve years old during the war and the event depicted is based on his own memories. Like many other Aboriginal people the war also brought about his first contact with non-Aboriginal people. However in this painting he is not only recording a personal recollection but creating a story composed of both historical and mythic elements of an event which is of wider significance in Aboriginal and Australian military history. A companion piece to 'World War II supply ships', 'How World War II began (through the eyes of the Rembarrnga)' painted in 1990, is held in the National Gallery of Australia's collection.