SS MAKAMBO watering ship at Matapu Bay, Havannah Harbour, New Hebrides, 1932
Artist
Brett Hilder
(1911-1981)
Date1932
Object number00027062
NamePainting
MediumWatercolour on paper
DimensionsOverall: 410 x 560 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionThis watercolour depicts the SS MAKAMBO taking on fresh water in Matapu Bay, Havannah Harbour, New Hebrides.
HistoryBrett Hilder born in 1911 was the youngest son of renowned watercolourist Jesse Jewhurst Hilder. In 1927 he became a crew member on ships owned by Burns Philp & Co. He traveled extensively to the Dutch East Indies and South Pacific Islands, and eventually became a ship's master. During WWII he taught navigation to Australian air crew and attained the rank of Wing Commander. He flew on Catalina flying boats for the Royal Australian Air Force. After the war Hilder resumed his career as a merchant sea-captain.
During the war Hilder started painting watercolours depicting landscapes, details and portraits of the people and places he visited. He also wrote extensively about navigation and his travels for magazines such as 'Walkabout'. Hilder is the author of numerous books on his own experiences and in 1966 published 'The Heritage of JJ Hilder' a book about his father's art career. This accompanied a national touring exhibition of his father's work organised by the Queensland Art Gallery. Brett Hilder passed away in April 1981.
The SS MAKAMBO was a mixed cargo and passenger vessel owned by Burns Philp & Co from 1907 to 1935. Built in Port Glasgow and named after an island in the Solomon Islands, it was used on routes between eastern Australia, Melanesia and the Tasman Sea. Between 1910 and 1931 MAKAMBO traveled a regular route between Sydney and Port Vila in the New Hebrides, with stops at Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
Brett Hilder was second mate on the MAKAMBO in 1932. One of his tasks was to collect fresh water in Havannah Harbour 20 miles from Port Villa. This was done by damming a stream and then diverting the natural water supply over the reef to the ship's surf boats using a wooden trough. After each boat had been filled, they were towed to the ship by launch and pumped out with a flexible hose, refilling the ship's water tanks. Hilder wrote in 'Navigator in the South Seas' that the crew showered in the water, but no one drank the water except in emergencies to 'quell an alcoholic fire'. He described the taste and texture of the water as 'very rich and colourful'.SignificanceThis painting is representative of the work by prolific amateur painter Brett Hilder, a seaman with Burns Philp and Company. His work offers a valuable and comprehensive record of the experiences of mariners working on commercial vessels between Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Melanesia from the 1930s through to the 1960s.