WEST KIMBERLEY PLACE REPORT - Department of Sustainability ...

from small cockles, cones and trochus to giant clams and bailers for holy water fonts
were gathered in from a wide range of coastal waters and tidal reefs'.
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The roof was originally constructed of mangrove wood and brush and the ceiling was
painted blue and decorated with shells denoting the southern hemisphere
constellations. Unfortunately, this was destroyed by termites in the 1920s and was
replaced with flattened kerosene tins.
The style classification of the Sacred Heart Church is Inter-War Gothic (c.1915–
c.1940), although the church is a very simple form of Gothic design that reflects the
austere conditions and limited resources available at the time of construction (Apperly
et al. 1994). It is orientated on the traditional east-west axis, with the entry to the west
end of the building under a three-level bell tower crowned with a spire and crucifix.
The church retains a high degree of authenticity despite the original floor and ceiling
finishes being replaced. A twelve metre bell tower was added to the church in the
1920s. The tower houses the original bell provided by the Trappist monks and two
others donated by a German parish. The bell tower collapsed in September 2000 and
was restored in 2002.
The interior details of the church are quite extraordinary. The sanctuary and altar were
decorated by Father Droste, Sister Raymond and a number of skilled Aboriginal
people, including Joseph Neebery (Niada) and Joseph Gregory, who was still a young
boy at the time (Rosie Victor quoted in Nailon and Heugel 2001, 40). Hundreds of
pearl shell, cowries, volutes and olives were used. There are three inset mosaics on
the main altar: the Lamb of God is in the centre; a Greek cross with a snake is on the
right; and a Roman cross is on the left. The frame of the altar and the tabernacle is
inset with cowrie shell and the top of the altar is inlaid with pearl shell. Whole pearl
shell (Pinctada maxima) features in the sanctuary inlays and the light reflects off the
shimmering shell surfaces with great effect. For Aboriginal people, pearl shell is a
powerful and highly valued commodity representing transformation, life and renewal,
and is traded throughout the Kimberley and across two-thirds of Australia. The side
altars are inlaid with mollusc opercula and incorporate the Christian motifs of the
lamb, the fish and the shepherd's crook with Nyul Nyul, Bardi and Nimanborr tribal
symbols.
Shells, including broken pearl shell are also used in the depictions of the twelve
Stations of the Cross, and the floor inlays, which feature Aboriginal motifs including
stone axes and local fauna and flora. The various artistic designs in shell and other
media are beautifully conceived and executed with great finesse.
The All Saints Anglican Church built in 1919 on Darnley (Erub) Island in the Torres
Strait is similarly constructed out of locally sourced material, including locally
produced lime from burnt coral. Like the Sacred Heart church, it was also built
predominately by local labour using locally sourced material (QLD Heritage Register
2009). However, the internal decoration of the All Saints Anglican Church is much
simpler than the Sacred Heart Church and does not include the same high level of
artistic detail and technical finesse (Lawrence 1995 – photos N6091-N6092).
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