A stronger spring for David: toas for a modern age 1994

In A stronger spring for David: toas for a modern age, Lin Onus pays homage to Aboriginal inventor David Unaipon (active in the early 1900s) for his contribution to the development of the spring-loaded shear. Unaipon’s technological innovation changed the wool industry and became the standard in woolsheds across Australia. Subsequently, since 1995, his image has appeared on the 50-dollar banknote. Onus said:

It appears that for many years David worked the agricultural shows in rural areas. In a sideshow tent, he had erected a spring upon which a steel ball would fall. The steel ball would bounce back but not quite as high as the point from whence it came. At this point David would explain to the audience his theory of perpetual motion and then pass around the hat, suggesting that if people were to give him some money he could then buy a stronger spring – hence the title of my piece.

Unaipon’s brand of humour appealed to Onus, whose work is charged with similar wit and capricious energy.