About

Ballooderry

Inception Strategies Mural Commission with Aboriginal Artist Nathan Dawson for Honeywell.

Description: Ballooderry was an Aboriginal man who grew up in Sydney during the late 1700’s. Ballooderry developed a strong relationship with Governor Phillip and lived for some months at his house in Sydney. A brilliant and accomplished fisherman, Ballooderry carved and built his own canoe and began selling fish to the colony following a suggestion by Governor Phillip. Initially successful, Ballooderry’s fish business suffered a brutal setback when a few convicts, stole and sunk his canoe. Ballooderry was incensed and vowed to make ‘Aboriginal payback’ but Governor Phillip cautioned Ballooderry and urged him to allow colonial law to bring the offenders to justice. The culprits were found, tried and one of them was hanged. This was the end of the matter as far as Governor Phillip was concerned, but not so for Ballooderry, who felt his tribal law had not the opportunity to make its own ‘justice’. Ballooderry tracked down the accomplice of the man who had been hanged for sinking his canoe and speared him. Furious at the betrayal, Governor Phillip gave orders for Ballooderry to be shot on sight. Understanding this, Ballooderry went deep into the bush that he knew so well and a number of punitive colonial expeditions failed to turn up any sign of him. In 1791, Ballooderry became very unwell and Governor Phillip, concerned about his condition, admitted a gravely ill Ballooderry to Sydney hospital where he was treated by Phillip’s own doctor but sadly died a few days later.

Ballooderry was buried inside a canoe with his fishing spears and possum skin cloak in the garden of Government House in Sydney which is now the site of the Museum of Sydney. Ballooderry’s funeral was the very first cross-cultural funeral in the history of Sydney that was attended by senior members of both the Aboriginal and colonial communities.

“The Wedgetail Eagles in the centre right of the painting represent freedom, connection to Country and are significant to my people.” artist Nathan Dawson

Ballooderry had intimate knowledge of the river systems of Sydney. As one of the very first Aboriginal Entrepreneurs of the early colony, Ballooderry saw the power of connecting communities with the establishment of his business and we feel privileged to be able to acknowledge and recognise the "communities working together" spirit of his legacy.