Cataraqui commemorations now rescheduled for Ten days on the Island, March 2021
The wreck of the Cataraqui on the west coast of King Island on 4 August 1885 is Australia’s worst civil disaster, with the loss of 400 lives. The sailing ship was stranded on reefs only about 150m from the shore, where it slowly broke up over the ensuing two days, the victims desperately clinging to the sinking vessel. The passengers were young pauper families from England and Ireland, emigrating to build a new life. About half the victims were children. One immigrant and eight crewmen survived.
Commemorations for the 175th anniversary of the sinking had been planned for August this year, but the event had to be postponed because of coronavirus. It has now been rescheduled for March 2021, when it will be incorporated into the Ten Days on the Island festival. The event will include an art exhibition and performances.
I am excited to be one of several Tasmanian artists who have been invited to participate in the exhibition. I will be contributing a number of my large seaweed paper artworks, and I am very much looking forward to attending the event and renewing my connection with the island.
The exhibition will take place at the King Island Cultural Centre at Currie Harbour, and a performance of lighting, sound, music and dance will take place in the harbour during the evenings.
To read more about the Cataraqui disaster see Poor Souls, They Perished: The Cataraqui - Australia’s Worst Shipwreck / Andrew Lemon and Marjorie Morgan.