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HMS Buffalo 1813 – 1840
27 JULY – 2 AUGUST 2015
W
eek
by
Kate Palmano, Carol Wright and Tovi Daly
PAUL DEACON
Marine Painting
WORKSHOP
Mon & Tues, 27-28 July
10am-4pm
Whitianga Art Centre
School Road
Sponsored by
Whitianga Art Group
$120 (members only
through end of June)
Ph 866 4099
Marianne Sikking, President
M
arine painter and former seaman, Paul
Deacon of Auckland will display many of
his paintings, such as the one shown above
of the HMS
Buffalo
struggling in the fateful
storm, at the Mercury Bay Museum. Paul
has created over a dozen new works of the
Buffalo
especially for this celebratory period;
also exhibited are paintings portraying
Captain Cook’s HMS
Endeavour
.
8
COROMANDEL LIFE 2015 WINTER
Morning Light: Approaching the Coast
Paul’s specialty are the masted ships, but he
also finds great strength and beauty in the solid
lines of simple working rowboats. He will share
marine painting techniques and tips at a two-day
workshop sponsored by the Whitianga Art Group.
D
uring the week of 27 July to 2 August
this year Whitianga will be abuzz with
celebrations, ceremonies, competitions
and events for all ages marking the 175th
anniversary of the loss of the HMS
Buffalo
on
our shores.
Caught off Cooks Beach in a fierce easterly
storm “in dark thick weather blowing a
hurricane with an awful sea” (ship’s log 6:30am,
July 28th 1840), having lost all its anchors and
with a disabled rudder, the
Buffalo
was
deliberately driven ashore at what is now
Buffalo Beach in the hope of saving as many of
the 80 lives on board as possible. Sadly, in
spite of this valiant attempt, two were drowned.
A commemorative plaque on Buffalo Beach lies
more or less in eastern compass line with the
submerged remains of the wreck, and marks
the date of the tragedy. The ‘2015 Buffalo
Homecoming Week’ will not only be a
commemoration of the HMS
Buffalo
, of the
men who sailed in her and of lives lost, but also
a celebration and important reminder of our
rich colonial history.
I recently talked with members of the Historical
Society about the celebrations, which are a
joint initiative between the Historical Society
and representatives of the Mercury Bay
Museum, and other community businesses.
I was fascinated with the story of the
Buffalo
and how much she contributed to the early
history of our Mercury Bay shores.
– KP
Internationally acclaimed artist Paul Deacon showcased...