Untitled (Rabaul harbour and volcano with navigational bearings)
Artist
Brett Hilder
(1911-1981)
Date1937
Object number00027067
NamePainting
MediumWatercolour on paper
DimensionsOverall: 203 x 304 mm, 0.05 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionWatercolour of the entrance to Rabaul Harbour during a volcanic eruption in 1937. The features of the harbour are listed along the bottom margin.
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.
In 1937 Hilder was second mate of the SS MONTORO. During the Rabaul volcano eruption, the ship was one of a few vessels which assisted by taking Rabaul's inhabitants off the threatened township. Hilder writes in 'Navigators of the South Seas' that after working the ships lifeboats for six hours there was nobody left ashore except for a few police who remained to look after the deserted township. Hilder describes the volcano's solid jet of red - hot dust and stones, with the lightning flashing and volcanic material bursting like bombs, then zigzagging down to the surface of the ocean.
SS MONTORO (1) was built for Burns Philp in 1912 at Clyde Scotland. Burns Philp operated the vessel until 1948. SS MONTORO (2) operated from 1956 to 1971.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.