Rothwell brings drive to rock art

JOHN Rothwell is not just an entrepreneur; he is a recognised champion in his special field of business, having grown a humble cray boat business into the world’s leading fast-ferry company.

And while his company, Austal, remains at the forefront of his business activities with the announced departure of its CEO, Bob Browning, Mr Rothwell has taken on another challenge – hoping to inject some commercial acumen into the low-key field of Aboriginal rock art research.

The shipbuilder has become the inaugural chair of the advisory board of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Rock Art Studies, which will bring together all the disciplines at the institution that focus on this cultural genre – namely archaeology, indigenous studies, chemistry and the fine arts.

Mr Rothwell said he had developed a fascination for Aboriginal rock art when indulging in another, longer-held passion, boating off the Kimberley coast.

The remote region is littered with caves containing thousands of images, many of which are thought to be as much as 20,000 years old in the case of the Gwion Gwion art.

“When you stand in front of these it is a very special feeling,” he said.

Mr Rothwell said he was driven to learn more about the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley and ensure that more Australians understood the value of this historic legacy.

He hoped that, as inaugural chair, he could help bring indigenous people and researchers closer to determine the best direction for study in this field.

“Academic researchers might be able to benefit from having someone from the commercial world who can put the right structures in place,” he said.

The recently launched centre is one of a number of research nodes that are the focus of another new UWA venture, an umbrella entity called the Energy and Minerals Institute, in recognition of the impact that resources development and rock art have on each other.

WA has significant examples of ancient Aboriginal rock art, notably in the Pilbara’s Burrup Peninsula and surrounding archipelago, as well across the Kimberley where there are two main types, Wandjina and Gwion Gwion.

Wandjina art is most directly linked to the current Aboriginal people of the Kimberley, whereas Gwion Gwion – which was also more commonly known as Bradshaw art after the first European to document it – is a style which appears to be older.