Moonlight
Australian War MemorialThis painting by Jacky Green depicts the wartime story of 'Little Eva', an American B24 Liberator that came down in a storm off the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1943.
The American crew had parachuted out of their aircraft and of the survivors two groups formed. Two of the crew starting walking in the direction of Burketown and were rescued.
Another group of four survived the crash, but were left struggling to survive in the remote terrain of the Northern Territory. Three of them lost their lives, while the fourth, Sgt Grady Gaston, was rescued after nearly 4 months after the crash by an Indigenous boy known by the English name of Strike-a-light.
The painting captures the moment following the crash when the men sat down around a blanket to work out what they had. Green commented, "They didn't have much, knives, a revolver, chewing gum, chocolates, and must have had a wallet".
Jacky Green (1953- ) is a Garawa artist from the southwest Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory. He has had no formal art training, and in fact has never been to school.
His artwork is instead underpinned by the Indigenous law taught to him by his grandfathers, uncles, and other senior kin from the southwest Gulf peoples; the Mara, Gudanji, Yanyuwa and Garawa. It is this knowledge that is reflected in his paintings and enriches his commentary on wartime history and contemporary life in the community.
The wartime story depicted in this work reveals the legacy continues to play in the lives of the Indigenous people from the Borroloola region. Today, it is remembered through a commemorative performance known as the Aeroplane Dance, which continues to be performed by community today.
- Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2086275
