'Reflections' Wellington Dam, Western Australia

Wellington Dam sits within Wellington National Park on Noongar boodja (country) in the south-west region of Western Australia.² Situated at the intersection of the shire boundaries of Collie, Dardanup, and Harvey on the traditional lands of the Wilman Noongar people, the Wellington Dam precinct has multiple cultural and historical resonances for the communities in the surrounding Collie River Valley. In recognition of this, the dam has been heritage-listed since 2009.³

Titled Reflections, the artwork explores how identity and heritage can be understood through the shared or collective memories that coalesce around a place. Collective memory is a concept first developed by sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, who explored how memory is shaped in relation to the shared values, knowledge, and beliefs of a given social group.⁴ For Halbwachs and others, our memories assume collective relevance in a social setting, represented through “media of memory” such as artefacts, statues, buildings, and memorial sites.⁵

The mural features six photographs from diverse communities across several generations. The artist made copies of the selected images and arranged them in a pool of water to inform the cohesive mural design, bringing disparate images together “as one”. In doing so, the artist says his intention was to show that the collective story of Collie – and, by extension, the Australian story – is no single story, but rather a compilation of stories from different communities and experiences that provides a unifying identity.⁸

For the Wilman Noongar people the Collie River and connected waterways have long held significant social and cultural values – as a source of food and water, recreation, and as a place of spiritual importance.¹¹ Nearby Roelands Village, a former mission housing Aboriginal children removed from their families, connects the site to the history of the Stolen Generations. The “Stolen Generations” refers to the thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were impacted by government policies and practices of separating children from their families and communities.¹²

For historian Paula Hamilton the concept of collective memory helps to explain the continual presence of the past for members of the Stolen Generations, on whose lives the removal of children has left a lasting and intergenerational impact. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification with the collective memory has also helped bring to light stories of trauma and loss in a political culture that has contested the extent of the policies’ damage.¹³

Wellington Dam and the reservoir which sits behind it have been key features of the local economy, making the site a focal point for collective memories of labour and migration, Depression and boom. In the decades during and following its construction, the dam was a lifeline of employment for many families seeking opportunity in the area. It was originally constructed in 1933, the result of a huge public works effort during the Great Depression era.¹⁷ It would go on to become a major employer of post-war migrants from southern and Eastern Europe in the 1950s. 

The hard labour of the Depression-era sustenance program workers and European migrants has been recognised in the heritage listing of the Wellington Dam Precinct.¹⁸ This heritage also manifests in the collective memories of the families who settled in – and continue to live in – the region.

The shifting status and function of the Wellington Dam precinct provides a model for change that allows for respect and remembrance of the past while cultivating more sustainable uses for the future. While the dam still services the Collie River Irrigation District, it has long been decommissioned as a drinking water source. These days its location within the Wellington National Park makes it a popular site for nature-based tourism and recreational activities such as camping, picnicking, bushwalking, swimming, fishing, and canoeing.