An interview with Deborah Cheetham AO

What can you tell us about your new string quartet titled “Bungaree” and what excites you about this collaboration with the Flinders Quartet?

I was delighted to receive this commission and to have an opportunity to create a new work for the Flinders Quartet. Matthew Flinders, for who the quartet is named, had an important connection with Aboriginal Australia during his lifetime and this project presented an ideal opportunity to shed some light on his contemporary, Bungaree.

There are many parts of our early shared history which remain unknown or shrouded in confusion. The story of Bungaree and his relationship with Matthew Flinders is one which every Australia deserves to know and yet so few people are aware of the role this man of the Kurringai nation (north of Sydney) played in the mapping the continent we know as Australia. Bungaree came to prominence very early on when in 1798, he accompanied Matthew Flinders on a journey between the Australian mainland and Tasmania on the Norfolk, working for the explorer as an interpreter and guide.

The success of this voyage led to another and in 1801 when Bungaree accompanied Flinders on his famous circumnavigation of Australia, on HMS Investigator, between 1801 and 1803. In his book detailing his journey, Flinders described Bungaree as a "worthy and brave fellow" who saved the expedition multiple times.

Bungaree’s role as diplomat on these voyages was invaluable and made possible due to his knowledge as an initiated man. His traditional education made it possible for him to communicate with the Indigenous communities he encountered in each location in spite of language barriers. Bungaree’s respectful approach made it possible for Macquarie and his crew to complete the circumnavigation of the continent with relative safety.

For his efforts Bungaree was granted a parcel of land. I have wondered if the irony of this weighed heavily on his as the wholesale dispossession of his kinsmen and women unfolded before his eyes. It was noted that he often wore military uniform and was a regular at Government House in Sydney. Eventually his family group were dispossessed of their land and brought down to live in what we now know as the Domain in Sydney. Bungaree’s relationship with Matthew Flinders protected him to a certain degree but did not guarantee the sovereignty of his people.

While there are a number of statues in Australia commemorating the achievements of Matthew Flinders and even a couple which include his cat “Trim”, however there are none which celebrate or recognise the contribution of Bungaree. There is no question that, like Flinders, he deserves to be a household name. It is for that reason I decided to base this commission on Bungaree’s story with hope that the link through the Flinders Quartet will serve to expand our understanding of this part of our nation’s history.

 
How has it been getting to know the string quartet as an "instrument" and has writing this quartet taken your composition in any unexpected directions?

I have long loved the intimate nature of the string quartet. The potential for the incredibly nuanced musical conversations between instruments so closely related, presents both opportunities and challenges. The skills required to create music for a string quartet take time to develop and so the opportunity to collaborate with members of the Flinders ensemble during the development stage, as in the case of this commission, is invaluable. In the workshop setting I am able to explore traditional and extended techniques first-hand and as a non-string player this is of great value to me.

As a composer I’m always keen to create a work that will resonate with the players. In the case of “Bungaree” this is especially important to me. Australia’s Indigenous culture has the longest music tradition anywhere in the world; and the string quartet is considered the epitome. For composers it represents something of a rite of passage. Bringing these two cultural practices together is an enriching experience for me and I am hoping will be for the ensemble and of course the all important audience.

Flinders Quartet will premiere Deborah Cheetham AO’s new work, “Bungaree”, in June 2020. We are grateful to Andrew Dixon for supporting this commission in memory of his parents, Jean and John Dixon.