TitleShellwork boomerang with blue velvet, handmade by Aunty Marilyn RussellDate2023About this objectThis shellwork boomerang was made by La Perouse Aboriginal Elder Aunty Marilyn Russell, an accomplished shellworker and daughter of the late Esme Timbery, who was also a renowned shellworker with works collected by museums across Australia.
While baby shoes, trinket boxes and the Sydney Harbour Bridge have been popular choices for shellwork making, this object features an unusual subject – a boomerang, which is often associated with men in the Aboriginal community.
The production of souvenirs by indigenous women in Sydney dates at least to the late nineteenth century, with documents recording women selling shell baskets at Circular Quay and Botany Bay as early as the 1880s.
With the establishment of La Perouse Aboriginal Reserve in 1895, the production of artefacts became, in the eyes of the missionaries, a means to keep people busy and to exercise control. It is likely that the missionaries influenced the choice of objects that the women were making — the shellwork baby shoes, jewellery boxes and replicas of famous landmarks reflected a Victorian sensibility for craft objects, drawing on shell crafts that were popular in Britain and Australia in the late 19th century, or Victorian era.
While the making of artefacts was considered a means of occupying the Aboriginal people living on the reserve, thus restricting their contact with other Australians, the result was the opposite—the souvenir industry became an important factor in defeating the segregation policy. A weekend outing to ‘the Loop’, as the tram terminal was known, became a fashionable pastime for both local and overseas visitors, especially after 1905 when the area was declared a public recreational space. Families would catch the tram to La Perouse and wander the headland, buying shellwork and other souvenirs to take home with them. Object No.2023.4Physical descriptionThis boomerang-shape object is made of cardboard, covered with blue velvet, shells and glitter. Featuring a plain base, the object is decorated with a border of small white clamshells, glued concave (on their backs). Inside the clamshell border are rows of small shells of various shapes, colours and sizes. It is sprinkled with silver glitter. CreatorRussell, MarilynDimensionsH: 14
W: 24cmPlace madeLa Perouse (N.S.W.)MaterialCardboardVelvetShellsSourceLa Perouse MuseumProvenance Prior to 2023 - Made by Aunty Marilyn Russell;
29 March 2023 - Purchased by La Perouse Museum.Credit linePurchased 2023Acquisition date29 March 2023SubjectsArt, Aboriginal AustralianShellworkAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesPeople (Detailed entries)Russell, MarilynOrganisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)CategoryMuseum | First NationsThemesFirst Nations
Russell, Marilyn, Shellwork boomerang with blue velvet, handmade by Aunty Marilyn Russell (2023). Randwick City Council, accessed 16/01/2026, https://ourstory.randwick.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/8612
