Chambers pillar

Spot on Bill; that lack of respect is why more and more places are being closed off to travellers.

"The names of fools are written everywhere" unquote.

Don't know who said it but so true.

Bob

A couple of years back we had the distinct privilege of being given permission to visit the Cleland Hills and in particular Puritija, Marunji Rockhole and Thomas Reservoir. We were accompanied by well know Alice Springs historian and respected elder Dick Kimber. You can imagine the disgust we felt when at Murunji, we were shown recent damage done to ‘historical’ graffiti by some mis-guided individual. Some of the first European visitors to the area had left their initials in the rock over 100 years previously. While at odds with traditional carvings in the area, the CLC recognised the historical significance of the etchings and included them in preservation efforts. Some mindless fool had tried to erase these historical carvings with a screw driver or other implement

Disgruntled or offended TO’s perhaps. No it’s not as you’d imagine. Imagine our disbelief when we were told that the culprit was a white fellow, not a TO and even worse, it was believed to be someone well known to us. Personally I had a hard time swallowing that pill as I know the person to be a keen student of explorer history, I didn’t believe that he would be capable of such a wanton act, but the CLC were pretty adamant.

Far from being ordinary graffiti, some of these scrawls are often a window to the past and a record of the first presence of Europeans into what were then harsh, hostile and unknown areas. Imagine if someone were to deface the offerings of that serial engraver Frank Hahn, the drawings left at Glen Edith by Giles Party and so on. I makes me ill just to think of it.

Tread lightly.

Mike and Mal Leyland.. Waukaringa Hotel, just north of Yunta.. South Australia.. I'm in two minds :)

What a shame people need to write/grafitti on Austrailan Historical sites - Why!!
Why does Europe with such a long history compare to our country not have the same problems? Perhaps it the lack of respect and knowledge/appreciation of our short history that we fail to protect for future generations. Do they think that their children will return in 20 yrs and see their stupid scratchings and be proud. I think not. Our younger generation hopefully has more respect?

Personally, I'm against the practice, but we had a discussion, coincidentally at Chambers Pillar, about this very topic just two days ago. Historical significance is all about timing. If it's done yesterday then it's vandalism, if it's done 200 years ago then it's historically and culturally significant. Take the aboriginal middens at Stockton as an example. They are a rubbish dump that is now culturally significant. I'm sure my local tip will be too in 1000 years time. I also wonder how many kids got into trouble by their mothers for putting hand prints on the walls of caves?
People have been putting their mark on things since there have been people. It certainly is upsetting when it defaces somebody else's existing mark, but it seems that if you have the gene that compels you to scratch your name into things then you just have to do it. I don't even need to take a photo on my travels, so missed the gene altogether it seems.