Spearing dugong 1971 and Cooking dugong 1976 are two important paintings that belong to a lesser-known period in the career of Queensland Aboriginal artist Goobalathaldin Dick Roughsey. Best known for his depictions of traditional stories, these two intimate figurative paintings capture candid moments of life on Lardil country.

Here we see two groups of community members engaged in distinct hunting practices on Country. Spearing dugong 1971 depicts men spearfishing by traditional methods in shallow waters, while Cooking dugong 1976 presents men and women gathered around a fire on the beach, cooking their dugong feast, with their small boat moored in the shallows. As a pair, these works illustrate the strength of Lardil dugong-hunting practices over time — depicted here as continuing before and after the arrival of missionaries to the region.