SAVING OUR INDIGENOUS HERITAGE ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Announcement posted by Leski Auctions 12 Sep 2018
Leski Auctions Media Release
12 September, 2018
SAVING OUR INDIGENOUS HERITAGE ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Daryl Blythman was a precocious kid who saw treasure where others saw trash. As a young boy in the late 1950s and living on a family farm in regional Australia, he was surrounded by Aboriginal stone artefacts and axes that dated back to the Indigenous history of the area.
Locals, older but hardly wiser, dismissed these historical relics as having no intrinsic value, be it cultural or financial. Daryl thought otherwise.
“My father fuelled my interest in Aboriginal history, because he understood that the artefacts we found were part of Australia’s unique heritage,” Daryl said. “His hobby became my obsession when I understood that every piece we found was part of our story as a nation, and the more we collected the closer we came to understanding what that story revealed to us.”
In his 30s, Daryl began to actively collect as much Indigenous art as he could to preserve it for future generations. It took him from local second-hand shops to auctions of tribal memorabilia in Australia and eventually to auctions and private sales in London, New York and New Zealand.
“The Blythman Collection is a remarkable testament to the vibrancy of a living community that predates European migration to Australia by thousands of years,” says Harry Glenn, an auctioneer and valuer with Leski Auctions. “The preservation of Indigenous art and culture is extremely important to any community that values its history. It’s a privilege for us to offer Daryl’s remarkable collection.”
Lot 47 (late c19th Rainforest Shield from Far Nth Qld has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000 - $15,000. (NB: Image available at https://www.leski.com.au/images/lot/3568/356896_2.jpg?1535426881)
The lot will be sold by Leski Auctions (www.leski.com.au) on Sunday, 23 September from 2.00pm.
About Leski Auctions
Leski Auctions was established in 1973. Today, it is regarded as one of Australia’s leading auctioneers of Sporting Memorabilia, Australian Art & Antiques, Collectibles and World Philately. Among the many significant collections that Leski Auctions has been privileged to sell are those of Shirley Strickland, Ron Clarke, Sir Reginald Ansett and former RSL President, Bruce Ruxton. It has sold more ‘baggy green’ caps than any other auction house in the world.
Charles Leski is a registered valuer for the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts’ Cultural Gifts Program. He is also the valuer of the displayed items at the National Sports Museum at the MCG, Melbourne. Harry Glenn, an industry veteran with more than 20 years experience, has been working with Charles since 2012.
The company is located at 727-729 High Street Armadale, Victoria 3143 Australia.
Tel +61 3 8539 6150 and www.leski.com.au
Issued by: Harry Glenn, Leski Auctions Michael Krape, Michael Krape Consulting
Tel: +61 (0) 425 790 735 Tel: +61 (0) 403 135 880
harry@leski.com.au michaelkrape@krape.com.au
12 September, 2018
SAVING OUR INDIGENOUS HERITAGE ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Daryl Blythman was a precocious kid who saw treasure where others saw trash. As a young boy in the late 1950s and living on a family farm in regional Australia, he was surrounded by Aboriginal stone artefacts and axes that dated back to the Indigenous history of the area.
Locals, older but hardly wiser, dismissed these historical relics as having no intrinsic value, be it cultural or financial. Daryl thought otherwise.
“My father fuelled my interest in Aboriginal history, because he understood that the artefacts we found were part of Australia’s unique heritage,” Daryl said. “His hobby became my obsession when I understood that every piece we found was part of our story as a nation, and the more we collected the closer we came to understanding what that story revealed to us.”
In his 30s, Daryl began to actively collect as much Indigenous art as he could to preserve it for future generations. It took him from local second-hand shops to auctions of tribal memorabilia in Australia and eventually to auctions and private sales in London, New York and New Zealand.
“The Blythman Collection is a remarkable testament to the vibrancy of a living community that predates European migration to Australia by thousands of years,” says Harry Glenn, an auctioneer and valuer with Leski Auctions. “The preservation of Indigenous art and culture is extremely important to any community that values its history. It’s a privilege for us to offer Daryl’s remarkable collection.”
Lot 47 (late c19th Rainforest Shield from Far Nth Qld has a pre-sale estimate of $10,000 - $15,000. (NB: Image available at https://www.leski.com.au/images/lot/3568/356896_2.jpg?1535426881)
The lot will be sold by Leski Auctions (www.leski.com.au) on Sunday, 23 September from 2.00pm.
About Leski Auctions
Leski Auctions was established in 1973. Today, it is regarded as one of Australia’s leading auctioneers of Sporting Memorabilia, Australian Art & Antiques, Collectibles and World Philately. Among the many significant collections that Leski Auctions has been privileged to sell are those of Shirley Strickland, Ron Clarke, Sir Reginald Ansett and former RSL President, Bruce Ruxton. It has sold more ‘baggy green’ caps than any other auction house in the world.
Charles Leski is a registered valuer for the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts’ Cultural Gifts Program. He is also the valuer of the displayed items at the National Sports Museum at the MCG, Melbourne. Harry Glenn, an industry veteran with more than 20 years experience, has been working with Charles since 2012.
The company is located at 727-729 High Street Armadale, Victoria 3143 Australia.
Tel +61 3 8539 6150 and www.leski.com.au
Issued by: Harry Glenn, Leski Auctions Michael Krape, Michael Krape Consulting
Tel: +61 (0) 425 790 735 Tel: +61 (0) 403 135 880
harry@leski.com.au michaelkrape@krape.com.au