HMAS Albatross I; HMAS Albatross 2

Darwin experienced 64 air raids during the course of the Second World War and there were several important wartime airfields established in the Northern Territory - Groote Eylandt, Gove and Millingimbi. Artist Bob McRae has investigated several sites of either crashed or wrecked warplanes in the Northern Territory and New South Wales. In a series of etchings completed in late 2001, he documents many of these sites. Artist's statement: HMAS Albatross 1: "In 2001, I was using one of my wrecked plane etchings to show an art student a certain printmaking technique. During the lesson, he told me of the existence of two wrecked Grumman Trackers beside the road near HMAS Albatross in Nowra, NSW. Taking the opportunity for further art research, [the student] and I drew and photographed the planes while Shrike Thrushes sang around us and I have included one of these birds in the print." Artist's statement HMAS Albatross 2: "We went to HMAS Albatross' Museum to see the standing collection of naval wrecks out the back. [The student's] father had a long naval history with HMAS Albatross. The Officer at the Museum knew [the student's] father and after a brief conversation said we could explore the wrecks. These became the subject of the etching. They include a burnt Wessex Helicopter and a broken Vampire which had sat on a pole in Nowra for many years."