Ken Searle
‘Gumbramorra/ always was, always will be’ 
 
pencil, conté crayon, charcoal, ink, watercolour, acrylic and oil paint on stonehenge paper
76 x 110cm
 
‘Gumbramorra/ always was, always will be’ depicts the interrelationship between the contemporary built environment around Sydenham railway station and the rich natural habitat of the freshwater wetland known as the Gumbramorra Swamp, which since the last Ice Age has nourished a rich biodiversity of plants, birds, fish, animals, and people. An integral part of the waterways of the Cooks River, Gumbramorra reclaims itself, no matter what we do to the surrounding Country. In this envisaging of the landscape, hope and healing can be found in the form of a spotted pardalote finding refuge in the oleander, or the crows that lurk in the lantana as nearby workers race to finish the new Sydney Metro Line. Dark clouds promise that rain is coming, to bring renewal. And on the concrete floor of the heritage-listed Sydenham Drainage Pit, the land forms a mirror for the sky. (Always was, always will be...)