Mural

Body of work

They filed past the body of work showing the same veneration as those who visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

The Sydney wharfies' mural caskets that carefully preserve the work from the ravages of time were opened in a 'one off' viewing at the Australian National Maritime Museum in November. Veteran wharfies, members of the arts community and officials braved heavy rain on the day to see the iconic work by a collective of artists led by Sydney socialist realist painter Rod Shaw.

Rod died in 1992, but members of his family and the Sydney art community were also represented at the viewing.

The mural has been compared to that of internationally acclaimed Mexican artist and husband of Frieda Carlo, Diego Rivera. His work still adorns government buildings in Mexico City and is represented at major galleries worldwide.

The mural weaves waterside history, labour history and Australian history like a tapestry, portraying writer Henry Lawson, the struggle for the 8-hour day, the Depression, the dole queue, the writings of Karl Marx, the pick up, conscription, both world wars, the wharves, the general strike, the bull days, wharfies' leader Jim Healy, the Spanish Civil War, Hitler's concentration camps, the Communist Party and police confrontations.

The wharfies' mural is unique. It involved not one artist but a workers' collective - Sonny Glynn, Clem Millward and Ralph Sawyer from the Wharfies' Art Group where Rod taught. They conceived the idea and worked on it together.

Rod chalked the images onto the wall in the canteen of the old branch rooms in Darling Harbour opposite the wharves where wharfies gathered during their lunchbreak to watch the work progress.

Begun in the fifties and completed over a decade, no expense was spared in removing the work and restoring it when the branch sold up and moved out in the 1980s. But when the branch rooms moved a third time, to the national office building, the union donated the mural to the museum. Sadly it has been in storage ever since.

It was the publicity and widespread screenings by the wharfie film unit on national television during the union campaign to have the Hungry Mile recognised, that prompted the museum to put the mural back on show.

On the day dedicated to its viewing, Museum director Mary Louise Williams pledged to erect a major section of the mural in the main gallery until new building extensions that will house the complete work are in place. A meeting of the Museum directors has since resolved to honour the pledge. The body of work will be brought back to life and on show to the public within the year.

The MUA is also looking to have the mural reproduced and extended on the cliff face of Hickson Road once the redevelopment is completed.

But for now the mural is still stored in caskets carefully conserved until it can again be restored to its full glory.