TitleBoomerang with pyrography design made by Uncle Laddie TimberyDate1988About this objectThis Boomerang was made by the late Uncle Laddie Timbery, a Yuin and Dharawal Elder from the Bidjigal clan on the South Coast of NSW. Born in La Perouse, Uncle Laddie relocated to Jervis Bay, his mother’s country, and was working closely with the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum and Gallery, where he produced Aboriginal art and ran education classes.
He specialised in making traditional boomerangs from the mangrove tree and was an expert in the intricate crafts of burning-in, a technique of burning designs into wood which is exemplified in this particular object.
Boomerang is closely associated with the Aboriginal creation myths. In the Dreaming, many significant features of the landscape were created when Ancestors threw boomerangs and spears into the earth. Boomerang making varies across the continent. Larger, heavier ones are used by inland and desert people, while lighter ones are thrown by coastal and high-country people. Carving and colouring of boomerangs also differs across the continent, and styles of decoration vary among individual makers.
Boomerangs are often used for hunting and fighting, but can also be used as a digging stick or a percussion instrument in dance and music. Object No.2023.8Physical descriptionThis plywood Boomerang is decorated with pyrographic designs (pokerwork or wood-burning wood) depicting three koalas, a kangaroo and an emu.
Boomerang made of wood and decorated with pyrographic (pokerwork or wood-burned work) designs. Three koalas sit on a tree branch at the curve of the boomerang. Below and to the left is the silhouette of an emu facing left. Below the koalas and to the right is the silhouette of a kangaroo mid-bounced facing left. The arm of the boomerang is decorated with trefoil arches. The top four on each side is coloured pink and the bottom fire on each side are burned black with pyrography. The rear is undecorated with words burnt in by poker, reading 'Aboriginal made Laddie Timbery Australia 1988'.CreatorTimbery, LaddieInscriptions & marksAboriginal made Laddie Timbery Australia 1988' burnt on the rearDimensionsW: 50cmPlace madeLa Perouse (N.S.W.)MaterialWoodSourceLa Perouse MuseumProvenance 1988 - Made by Uncle Laddie Timbery;
c. 2007-2015 - Purchased by Randwick City Library;
2 November 2023 - Donated to La Perouse Museum by Randwick City Council Library.Credit lineGift of Randwick City Council Library, 2023Acquisition date2 November 2023SubjectsArt, Aboriginal AustralianBoomerangsAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesPeople (Detailed entries)Timbery, LaddieOrganisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)CategoryMuseum | First NationsThemesFirst Nations
Timbery, Laddie, Boomerang with pyrography design, made by Uncle Laddie Timbery (1988). Randwick City Council, accessed 14/01/2026, https://ourstory.randwick.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/8616
