Stoker in engine room one, HMAS Kanimbla
Figure of a man in the engine room. Peter Churcher recalled, “I was amazed at the extraordinary environment of the engine room. It was absolutely crammed full of equipment. It was a very complex packed environment. I was quite awed by it. ‘Stoker’ is an old term for someone who used to stoke the boiler. The stoker today maintains the machinery of the engine room.”
Peter’s paintings provide a good insight into life on board the Kanimbla in the Persian Gulf. Only four of his paintings are included here. His other paintings and drawings can be accessed via the Australian War Memorial website.
- About Peter Churcher
Peter Churcher was brought up in a household involved in the arts. He is the son of Betty Churcher, who was the director of the National Art Gallery of Australia from 1990-1997. Peter Churcher's first qualifications though, were in music, not art. Travelling through Europe after gaining his Licentiate for Piano Performance from Trinity College, London, he visited a great many galleries and decided to return to his original love, painting. In 1991 he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from Prahran School of Art and Design, now Deakin University. He held his first solo exhibition in 1994.
In 2002 Peter Churcher was commissioned as the Australian War Artist to document the Australian Navy in the Persian Gulf. He was sent to the Persian Gulf and Diego Garcia, where he recorded the people and operations of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Churcher’s paintings and drawings of the Australian military's engagement in the Coalition against Terrorism are on show at the Australian War Memorial.
During his commission he produced many oil paintings and drawings of works characterised by spontaneity, a refreshing directness, and a fascination with the figurative. For the first three weeks, he experienced life with the RAN on board the HMAS Kanimbla and Adelaide. His images range from the claustrophobic engine room to officers at work on the ship’s bridge. Churcher's work captures the day-to-day experiences of today's defence force personnel, while harking back to older art traditions and styles. His images provide a valuable insight into the nature of modern warfare.
Churcher exhibits regularly in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane at privately run galleries. His work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the National Portrait Gallery, Canberra; the Australian War Memorial; Canberra and the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Victoria. He has entered the Archibald prize ten times and been hung six times. He has been hung twice in the Sulman Prize.
Churcher is currently living and working in Barcelona, Spain. He was recently awarded first prize in “El Concurso de Grabados” (Printmaking Prize) de Sant Lluc, Barcelona, 2008.
Artist statement:
“Since graduating from art school, I have been primarily concerned with the painting of the human figure in a narrative context and the depiction of the human presence - that is the Portrait. This focus all stems from my devotion to the great figurative masters such as Velasquez and Rembrandt and my firm belief and personal quest to depict our own surrounding world of visual, sensory and emotional stimuli through paint on canvas.”
- About HMAS Kanimbla (ll)Sailors at work
Since entering World War 1 in 1914 with 16 ships, two submarines and 3800 RAN personnel (including 850 from the Royal Navy) the number of serving personnel in the Royal Australian Navy has fluctuated depending on the strategic and shifting financial environment. Over more than a century, the RAN’s and people have seen action in every ocean of the world.
Of the tens of thousands who have served, 2658 members have made the ultimate sacrifice defending Australia’s interests in warlike and peacetime operations across the globe.
Fortunately, for the vast majority who served in periods of peace or survived periods of hostilities the experience was positive.
In addition to their service in a particular category which involved specific duties, they also participated in communal duties such as coaling ship. Thus, the artworks included in this section relate to a mix of specialist and communal activities.
More reading
- Additional resources for Peter Churcher
- Additional resources for HMAS Kanimbla (ll)Sailors at work
