Tall Ships, Tall Stories
Designer
Amanda Holt
Author
Tracey Moffatt
Date1987
Object number00055223
NamePoster
MediumInk on Paper
DimensionsOverall: 600 × 840 mm
Image: 600 × 843 mm
Image: 600 × 843 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionA poster titled 'Tall Ships, Tall Stories' designed in 1987 by Amanda Holt with photographs by Juno Gemes and Elaine Pelot Kitchener relating to the boycott of the 1988 Bi-Centenary in Australia.
The background is the red, black and yellow Aboriginal flag overlaid with images of tall ships and protesters. A quote of artist Tracey Moffatt is set in the centre.
HistoryOn 26 January 1988 Australia celebrated the bicentenary of the landing of Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet at Sydney. It became a significant yearlong occasion marked by organised numerous events such as the World Expo in Brisbane, the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince and Princess of Wales and even significant improvements to Australian roads were made through the 'Australian Bicentennial Road Development Program.
One of the 'highlights' of the Bicentennial celebrations was an enactment on Sydney Harbour of the First Fleet. Mired in controversy, the event went ahead and attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators to the harbour foreshores.
In addition to these crowds, thousands also gathered in Sydney to protest the display and the highlight that this day of 'celebration' was a day of mourning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The first formal protest against Australia Day by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in 1938. This was eight years before the Australia Day itself was formally recognised in all states and territories but for Indigenous Australians it signalled a tradition of protest that grew to the over 40,000 protesters that marched in Sydney in 1988.
"For many Australians, Australia Day – the 26th of January – has become a day of celebration. But for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Australia Day has very different meanings. It is not a day for celebration but a day for remembering. The arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 marked the beginning of what many believe was an invasion of their country. January 26 represents a day on which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ way of life was changed forever.
Whether in the most remote region of Western Australia or in the heart of the city of Sydney, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people think of 26 January as Invasion Day or Survival Day, or both. As one young boy recently said; ‘It’s embarrassing. It’s like people celebrating the day that your people got slaughtered or invaded and really bad things happened. It’s really sad.’ Sadness is not something many of us think about Australia Day."
- Dr Stephen Gapps
ANMM
SignificanceThe Bicentennial celebrations on 26 January 1988 promised to be significant for Australians. The official logo was 'Let's celebrate', encapsulating the festive events and people's attitudes and expectations. In New South Wales alone, over 25,000 bicentennial events took place during the year. One of the main events was the First Fleet re-enactment, with tall ships arriving from all over the world.
Many Indigenous Australians did not celebrate, and some boycotted the organised events.
