As a person who located to this river country 30 years ago, I have long thought about the mechanisms of place making. For me, an unfolding understanding of both the history of place (ancient and modern) and geography (pertinent to the creeks and rivers of our landscapes), has embedded me deeply here. 

 This exhibition of works is my personal response to the significant ecological, cultural and archaeological Barapa Barapa people's site of the Pollack Swamp. A place of “history and geography”. Located between Barham and Swan Hill in a flora reserve on the periphery of the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest, it is known locally as The Pollack. The name is derived from the Barapa Barapa word Pulitj meaning swamp. The Pollack encompasses significant ancient Aboriginal village sites and colonial bird breeding habitat. The swamp is closely aligned to the Blandowski expedition etchings made in the 1850’s, which recorded the life and practises of the Murray Darling First Peoples and are now archived in Cambridge and Berlin.

Over the course of 2019 a series of field trips to The Pollack, including visits with artists Elisabeth Cummings, Pamela U'Ren French and Hayley Martin, were undertaken.  Visual information was gathered from which the final pieces have been created. Included in the exhibition is a collaborative scroll, painted in the field by Elisabeth, Pam and myself.

In these challenging times I still take much joy from living here and as someone who works on the land I value the landscape deeply.  I would like to think that in a broader sense, if we can collectively connect to the history and geography of our continent that we will be well placed to make decisions pertinent to a positive future. Please enjoy my paintings as a personal expression of place. 

Wendy McDonald 2019