JUDGEMENT BY HIS PEERS, Gordon Syron 1972
‘JUDGEMENT BY HIS PEERS' by Gordon Syron was painted in Long Bay Gaol and first hung in the artist’s cell where he was serving a life sentence for a death that was the result of tribal retribution. It was shown publicly for the first time at an exhibition on Eveleigh Street Redfern at Murawina (Black Woman), under it's original public title, “The Real Australian Story”
The painting “Judgement By His Peers” is historically important as it was painted by Syron in his prison cell at Long Bay Gaol where he served 10 years of a life sentence. Syron killed a white man over the loss of his family’s land, (several thousand acres they had purchased). The year was 1972, ironically the same time as the Tent Embassy 1972 was taking place in Canberra. Syron never returned as an inmate. [1]
Gordon Syron was quoted about its subject as saying: "I believe I would not have been sentenced at all, had I been judged by an Aboriginal jury. In British law a man is judged by his peers."
In explaining the background to this work Gordon Syron has said:
"This painting is my most meaningful work. It is the story of my life.
This trial happened to me. I challenged the jury system of Australia.
I asked that I be judged by my peers and your peers are your equals. I asked to have some Aboriginal people on my jury. One lawyer said that I wasn’t black enough to be black and the other lawyer said that I wasn’t white enough to be white. They then argued this point in front of me for sometime.
Both my parents were Aboriginal. It was such an insult to me and my family. I was judged by an all-white jury. (If you are a pink fella then according to British law and now Australian law you are entitled to have a pink person on the jury). I served a life sentence." [2]
[1] University of Technology, Sydney
[2] Gordon Siron website