Boon wurrung blossom
The edible fruit of the Boon Wurrung blossom is reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.
The bluestone is laid on crushed yellow ochre sandstone, with the base encircled by indigenous flowering plants. Each rock represents one of the six clans that made up the Boon Wurrung. For thousands of years, Boon Wurrung women and children congregated in this area during special periods in spring and summer. The area was rich in seafood and had fresh water wells dotted around it. Among the Banksia trees that provided shelter, grew indigenous plants and flowers through which the women made garlands to wear in their hair.
In a culture based on oral tradition, the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next was instrumental to the survival of the clans that made up the Boon Wurrung nation. Ricketts Point, as it is now known, was special to the Boon Wurrung: it continues to be a special place for both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians today.
Boon Wurrung blossom acknowledges the original inhabitants of this land, especially the women and children. It reminds us of the important role reconciliation plays in connecting all those Australians from different cultures from around the world who have made the Boon Wurrung’s land their home, together with the first inhabitants of this land – The Boon Wurrung.
Ellen José was born in Cairns in 1951 and is a descendent of Murray, Darnley and Horn Islands.
She completed a Certificate of Applied Art at Seven Hills Art College, Brisbane in 1976 and a Diploma of Fine Art at Preston Institute of Technology, Melbourne in 1978. In 1979 she was awarded a Diploma of Education from Melbourne State College. José worked with the Victorian Aboriginal Education Service in 1980 and 1981 and participated in the NAIDOC '86 Exhibition of Aboriginal and Islander Photographers at the Aboriginal Artists Gallery, Sydney in 1986. She commenced working as a lecturer at Monash University, Melbourne that same year.
José has continued to work predominantly as a painter and printmaker, exhibiting her work in a number of group and solo exhibitions. She worked as a lecturer at Deakin University, Melbourne from 1991 to 1994 and was appointed to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board of the Australia Council in 1996.
The Indigenous sculpture project was funded through the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games “Getting Involved” grants program and is a part of Council’s commitment to the recognition of Indigenous people.
Sculpture by Ellen Jose, 2008, Bayside City Council Art and Heritage Collection.
Location: Ricketts Point, Beaumaris (Melway ref: Map 86 C9)
Material used: Bluestone from Lara (Victoria), crushed yellow ochre sandstone and indigenous plants.‘Blossom – the flower of a plant especially one producing an edible fruit’.
Page last updated: 10 Dec 2010