Mark Knowles, Cape York Weekly

The life and legacy of a Far North adventurer who, together with Traditional Owners, fought for the protection of the ancient Quinkan rock art near Laura, is being showcased in an exhibition at Cairns Museum.

Cairns Historical Society executive officer Fleur Anderson said the exhibition Percy Trezise – The Man Who Loved Cape York Peninsula is a tribute to an unconventional visionary who was once a household name in the north.
“Percy Trezise was a force and an amazingly talented man who raised awareness on the national stage and beyond of Queensland’s significant indigenous cultural heritage in the rock art of Cape York,” she said.

Suzanne Gibson, curator at Cairns Museum, said that Percy’s long-standing friendship and artistic partnership with Goobalathaldin, also known as Dick Roughsey, was central to his activism.

The pair met at Karumba in the 1960s, forged a friendship through their mutual love of painting, and would go on to explore and help preserve the ancient rock art scattered across the sandstone country around Laura.

“Because he had the friendship with Dick, who was a Lardil man from Mornington Island, an initiated guy, he could build relationships with the local men who didn’t trust white people at all,” Ms Gibson said.

“They all went hunting, camping, yarning and drinking and the old men told Percy the stories of the rock art and what it meant… but not all of it, obviously.

“Percy was a full brother to Dick so he was taken into Dick’s family, but Dick also stayed with Percy’s family. Percy provided him a place for him to paint and work and promoted his career.

“They have 20 years together where they bring the Cape, and really Northern Aboriginal culture, into the national imagination.

“It is a really significant partnership because they’re painting it, they’re doing children’s books about it and they’re on the first committee of the Australia Council and Aboriginal Arts Board.”

Matt Trezise, Percy’s son, said he had fond memories of exploring the Cape York region with his father.

“It was a road worker who discovered those (Quinkan rock art) sites but as soon as he heard about it, Percy and his close friend Xavier Herbert, who shared his interest in Aboriginal culture, decided to race up to Laura to have a look and my brother Steven and I went with them,” he said.

Matt, who lives at Jowalbinna Station near Laura, says his father was a constant advocate for Aboriginal people on Cape York to be able to own and manage their traditional lands.

“He was a long way ahead of his time, and its taken an awful long time, but it’s happening. In the last few years we’ve seen a lot of country cattle stations go back to the ownership of Aboriginal people.

“Despite the lack of resources, and not enough staff to really get into it, they are making a real good go of managing their country and, of course, the Laura Rangers are doing a terrific job relocating, recording and looking after the rock art heritage in their area.”

Percy Trezise: The man who loved Cape York Peninsula will run through to December at the Cairns Museum.

This article appeared in Cape York Weekly, 28 September 2021.