Explorers' Monument facts for kids

The Explorers' Monument is a tall statue in Esplanade Park in Fremantle, Western Australia. It stands about six metres high. The monument features a statue of Maitland Brown from the chest up. This statue sits on granite blocks with special plaques. These plaques honor three explorers: Frederick Panter, James Harding, and William Goldwyer.

George Julius Brockman asked for the monument to be built. The statue of Brown was made by a sculptor named Pietro Porcelli. Lady Forrest officially revealed the monument in February 1913. Over time, people started to disagree about how the monument showed the history between settlers and Aboriginal people. Because of this, changes were made to it in the 1990s.

The Explorers' Story

Panter, Harding, and Goldwyer were explorers who died in 1864. They were exploring the Kimberley region of Western Australia. They were killed by Aboriginal people. When the men did not come back, Maitland Brown was asked to lead a search party. This group was called the La Grange expedition.

Brown's search party found the three explorers dead. They had been killed with spears, and two of them seemed to have been attacked while they were sleeping. Soon after, Brown's group killed a number of Aboriginal people. Brown said this was a battle because Aboriginal people ambushed his group. However, many people now see this event as a harsh attack on Aboriginal people by the white settlers.

The Original Message of the Monument

One of the first plaques on the monument tells the story from the viewpoint of the time it was built. It says:

This plaque explains that G. J. Brockman built the monument. It honors Panter, Harding, and Goldwywer as early explorers of this "unknown land" (Terra Incognita). It states they were attacked and killed by "treacherous natives." The plaque also remembers Maitland Brown. It calls him a "pioneer pastoralist" (someone who started large farms) and a "premier politician" (a leading government official). It says he bravely led the search party that found the explorers. It also mentions that Brown's remains are buried in East Perth Cemetery.

A Different Perspective

For a long time, Aboriginal communities felt that the Explorers' Monument was racist. They believed it only told one side of the story about the events at La Grange. In 1994, an effort was made to fix this. A new plaque was added to the monument.

This new plaque remembers all Aboriginal people who died "during the invasion of their country." It says:

This second plaque explains that the first monument only showed the view of the white settlers. It points out that the original plaque did not mention the right of Aboriginal people to defend their land. It also highlights that the "punitive party" (Brown's group) led to the deaths of about twenty Aboriginal people. It notes that the white group was well-armed and none of them were hurt. This plaque serves as a memorial for the Aboriginal people who died at La Grange and all others who died during the settlement of their land.

Images for kids

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  The Explorers' Monument in the 1920s

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  Amid a stand of trees in 2007.

Detail of the bust of Maitland Brown.