Percy Trezise
Encyclopedia
Percy Trezise AM
(28 January 1923 - 11 May 2005) was an Australia
n pilot
, painter
, explorer
and writer
as well as, notably, a discoverer, documenter and historian of Aboriginal
rock art
. He was born in Tallangatta, Victoria
but is associated especially with Far North Queensland
and the rock art galleries of the Cape York Peninsula
. He died in Cairns, Queensland
.
Tresize was born in Tallangatta (northern Victoria), of Cornish descent, and attaended a bush school followed by Albury Highschool. His interest in Aboriginal people began when he won a copy of the Red Centre written by Findlayson during his years at highschool. During World War II
Trezise served in the Royal Australian Air Force
. From 1956 he worked in northern Australia as an airline pilot for Ansett
and the Cairns Aerial Ambulance. From the air he learned to identify areas likely to contain Aboriginal rock art, which he subsequently explored on foot. During the 1960s he regularly overflew Dunk Island attempting to locate the Aboriginal galleries mentioned by E. J. Banfield
in his 'Confessions of a Beachcomber' (1908) and later walked in to find them based on his aerial observations.
He was a friend of writer Xavier Herbert
, artists Ray Crooke
and Ron Edwards and a collaborator with Aboriginal
artist Dick Roughsey
in a series of children’s picture books.
In 1996 he was made a member of the Order of Australia
. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from James Cook University
, in recognition of outstanding service to the community of far north Queensland.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(28 January 1923 - 11 May 2005) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
as well as, notably, a discoverer, documenter and historian of Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
. He was born in Tallangatta, Victoria
Tallangatta, Victoria
Tallangatta is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Tallangatta had a population of 950.The town is situated on the banks of the Mitta Arm of Lake Hume, approximately south-east of Albury-Wodonga along the Murray Valley Highway.-History:Tallangatta was founded in...
but is associated especially with Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland, or FNQ, is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. The region, which contains a large section of the Tropical North Queensland area, stretches from the city of Cairns north to the Torres Strait...
and the rock art galleries of the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
. He died in Cairns, Queensland
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
.
Tresize was born in Tallangatta (northern Victoria), of Cornish descent, and attaended a bush school followed by Albury Highschool. His interest in Aboriginal people began when he won a copy of the Red Centre written by Findlayson during his years at highschool. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Trezise served in the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
. From 1956 he worked in northern Australia as an airline pilot for Ansett
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...
and the Cairns Aerial Ambulance. From the air he learned to identify areas likely to contain Aboriginal rock art, which he subsequently explored on foot. During the 1960s he regularly overflew Dunk Island attempting to locate the Aboriginal galleries mentioned by E. J. Banfield
Edmund James Banfield
Edmund James "Ted" Banfield was an author and naturalist, best known for his book Confessions of a Beachcomber.-Early life:...
in his 'Confessions of a Beachcomber' (1908) and later walked in to find them based on his aerial observations.
He was a friend of writer Xavier Herbert
Xavier Herbert
Xavier Herbert was an Australian writer best known for his Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Poor Fellow My Country . He is considered one of the elder statesmen of Australian literature...
, artists Ray Crooke
Ray Crooke
Ray Crooke , is an Australian artist born in Melbourne. He won the Archibald Prize in 1969 with a portrait of George Johnston.His painting The Offering is in the Vatican Museum collection. Many of his works are in Australian galleries. He is known for serene views of Islander people and ocean...
and Ron Edwards and a collaborator with Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
artist Dick Roughsey
Dick Roughsey
Dick Roughsey was an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Lardil language group on Mornington Island in the south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. His tribal name was ‘Goobalathaldin’ meaning ‘water standing on end or rough seas’...
in a series of children’s picture books.
In 1996 he was made a member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from James Cook University
James Cook University
James Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
, in recognition of outstanding service to the community of far north Queensland.