Eastern Maar Traditional Owners reclaim 100-year-old artefacts

Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation members were reunited with ceremonial items believed to have been handmade by Traditional Owners around the Framlingham area in the 1800s.

The 10 items fashioned from blackwood had been in Roger Bilney's family all these years, sitting in a cupboard in storage.

Mr Bilney said they were originally given to his grandfather and had been in the family ever since.

"My grandmother was adopted by the then manager of Framlingham, Richard Henry Hosking, in about 1898," he explained.

"He was given these when he left Framlingham and since then they have been in the family possession ever since.

"I decided it's best to bring them down here, they're pretty special."

Dorothy Morahan was born in 1896 to Clara MacFarlane, but no father was recorded on the birth certificate.

Her mother passed away two years later and was in a babies home for six weeks until Mr Hosking collected her and adopted her, returning to Framlingham with her.

"Richard's wife, Louisa Maud (nee Howell, deceased 1949) was never told about Dorothy arriving, and was never told of any connection Richard Hosking may have had, or knew about Dorothy's past," Mr Bilney said.

"Apparently Hosking was highly regarded by the Aboriginal community and at his leaving he was presented with two sets of implements, shields, and I believe spears also.

"I do not have a date for this period except that he passed away in 1915 at the age of 43.

"Hosking gave one set of artefacts to the Museum in Melbourne, and kept the other set for the family.

"I recall seeing spears in the collection as a child, but I have no knowledge as to where they went.

"The remaining collection has been in my mother's possession since the early 1970s."

Eastern Maar chief executive Marcus Clarke hopes to display the items at the Warrnambool Art Gallery.

"These are magnificent items," he said.

"It helps to tell the story of our ancestors."

Eastern Maar's Craig Edwards thanked the Bilney family for returning the items to Traditional Owners.

"We thank Roger and family for looking after them and keeping them in such beautiful condition," he said.

"It's very special to have them come back to Country.

"Seeing them now, holding them, you can feel that they were special items."

The markings and cross hatching on the items are distinctive to this area.

The hand-carved triangles will show which area each item was made in when they are taken and studied further.

They include fighting sticks, a hunting boomerang and shields.

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