Pride of Place
Robin Goodall Puts Sheep in the Picture
After more than a decade of fundraising and planning by the Wee Waa Historical Society, the Namoi Echo Museum, located on the lands of the Kamillaroi people, opened in 2006. In a section of the museum which highlights the local history of sheep farming, a five-panel mural takes pride of place.
Conceived and painted by Robin Goodall, the mural shows the history of the wool industry in north-western New South Wales from its earliest origins. The mural pays respect to the early graziers’ hard yards, illustrating their journey from bales of wool on bullock trains into modernity and the arrival of the automobile.
The work’s composition leads the eye through five panels of social realism, recounting the labour of the shepherds, shearers and carters. Each panel is a vignette of the work in the fields and shearing sheds, including drenching, shearing, classing and baling, all serving as a mark of respect for the early settlers who helped grow the Australian wool industry.
The successful realisation of the Namoi Echo Museum was a testament to the community, which, in addition to raising $70,000, received a substantial donation from local businessman John Lasurena. The museum also received a significant boost of $67,000 in Federal funding, which enabled the Wee Waa Historical Society to bring the project and the mural to fruition.
