Description (CMS Description)
Wooden spear-thrower, the body of which is made from a single piece of carved wood carved into an elongated leaf-shape with a small, flat, circular handle. At the tip, a small pointed piece of wood is attached to the thrower with ?resin, pointing inwards, and bound in place with sinew. The back of the object shows clear marks where the object has been carved into shape. The object has a slight crack along one edge, but is in general in good condition.
Event Date
Author: maa

Context (CMS Context)
(Bio) (Collector) Fredrick John Afford Bateman was a doctor in Alice Springs periodically between 1955 -1959, where he worked both in the hospital there and as a flying medic.Richard Bateman, the collector’s son, in correspondence with CUMAA adds: ‘It was a practice that all weapons, shields, knives were left outside the ward [at the Alice Spring Hospital] and were often unclaimed after the patients left the hospital.’This object is one of three spear throwers collected during this period. Two have been accessioned into the CUMAA collections, and one was bequested to the Handling Collection by Richard Bateman.
Event Date
Author: maa