Percy Frank Hockings (10.10.1867—24.07.1950)
We know the paintings by the artist, but what about a portrait of the artist?
Percy Frank Hockings was a cousin of Reginald Hockings (1868—1932), one of the main figures in the Thursday Island and Torres Strait pearling industry from the late 1890s onwards.
Percy trained as an architect, along with his brother Edwin Morton Hockings. However Percy rarely practised as an architect and spent much of his time travelling widely. The two brothers travelled the world together (Europe, the Pacific, and Thursday Island) and between them accumulated a wealth of drawings, oil paintings and watercolours, of which these examples are a small part of the entire output.
The connection to architecture explains many things that have been observed in the paintings. Art and architecture have always been twin companions, and in this period the ability to draw and paint were vital to the draughting role in developing plans for buildings. It helps explain Percy’s ability to do an accurate drawing along with neat writing. It also explains his interest in proportions, the art of how things might relate to each other, even noting details for reference.
The collection had been retained in the family by the donor to the museum, Dr Edwin John Hockings and his brother Dr Marcus Tilbury Hockings. Percy is their great uncle and Edwin Morton Hockings is their grandfather. Edwin had a long and distinguished career as an architect and was responsible for many buildings in Rockhampton where they lived.
The profession still has connections to the Hockings family. John Hockings is also an architect and a boating enthusiast.
Reginald Augustus Charles Hockings OBE (24.05.1868—04.06.1932)
An obituary published in the Brisbane Courier on 24 June 1923 summarises Reginald Hockings:
WELL KNOWN PEARLER
Late Mr. R. A. C. Hockings.
The spirit of staunch faith and cheery optimism that characterises the men who have their business in far places was never better shown than by the late Mr. R. A. O. Hockings, O.B.E., who, in a grave condition at Macassar on June 4, cabled to his relatives the news that a third operation had been “most successful,” giving him a “fighting chance.” But the chance was not sufficient, and a large circle of friends later learned with sor-row that Mr. Hockings had passed away. Captain Reginald Augustus Charles Hockings was born in South Brisbane on May 24, 1868,’younger son of the late Mr. Henry and Mrs. Eliza Hockings, and was educated in Brisbane, his early school days being spent at Kangaroo Point Public School. His commercial career commenced at a youthful age with Samuel Hodgson and Co., Brisbane, after which he entered the service of Parbury, Lamb, and Co., for whom he ultimately acted as commercial traveller on the North coast.
ENTERED PEARLING INDUSTRY
Leaving this employment in March, 1898, he entered the Torres Strait pearling industry, associated with Mr. James Clark, later on forming the Wanetta Pearling Company, but owing to impracticable working conditions imposed by the Queensland Government of the time -1905- his and other fleets were compelled to move over to Aru Islands, in Dutch East Indian waters. In 1908 Mr. Hockings brought his schooner Wanetta and fleet back to Thursday Island, and from that centre continued pearling operations on the high seas in the usual manner. During this period he took his nephews (sons of Mr. H. J. Hockings, of Brisbane) into partnership, and some time subsequently he retired from the company
EXTENSIVE PLANTATION
Mr. Hockings was a bachelor, and many years ago he established an extensive coconut plantation at Boeton Island, south-east Celebes, the working of which gave him great pleasure,and he spent many periods there, as well as at Thursday Island, which place he left in the best of health on March 28 for the plantation, via Macassar. On June 3 a cable message from Macassar announcing that he had undergone an urgent surgical operation there, and that his condition was grave, caused a painful surprise to his relatives. This was followed by a message from himself on June 4, already referred to, and later it was learned that he passed peacefully away that night.
During the war period Mr. Hockings served on special duties of importance connected with British Naval patrol work. He never disclosed any details of these services, but they aroused appreciation, and in January, 1920, he was given the Order of the British Empire. Mr. Hockings was Vice-Consul for the Netherlands at Thursday Island, and amongst the numerous expressions of sympathy from all parts of the world is one from the Minister of Foreign Affairs at The Hague. From America the Thursday Island Shellers’ Association received a message saying that business depression seemed small compared to the industry’s loss by the death of Mr. Hockings – truly a fine tribute.
The name Wanetta for his pearling company and the slip where Percy caught the angler fish come from the topsail schooner Wanetta (O/N 106190) that was built in 1898 by David Drake at Balmain NSW. It was over 30 metres long and was first owned by James Clark. It was one the small fleet of schooners that operated as mother ships to the much larger fleet of pearling luggers that were all largely based in Thursday Island. This mothership system was pioneered by Clark, and the other companies and people who worked with Clark adopted the same system.
Pearling luggers moored at Thursday Island near Hockings Point, with Green Hill in the background. Photograph by Frank Hurley. Courtesy National Library of Australia, nla.pic-an23219893
The exodus in 1905 from Thursday Island was also compounded by a terrible year’s pearling in 1904 and took Hockings along with Clark and others from the ‘Clark Combination’ to Dobo on Aru Island then under the control of the Netherlands. Hockings obviously settled in well in the Dutch East Indies, and from other sources it is known that the copra plantation he established in the region was called “Tompenang”, and it lies in what is now called Buton Island, Sulawesi, and further west of Aru.
As noted though, the fleet and operators eventually returned to Australia and once again Hockings and his family were well-respected pearlers on Thursday Island where Hocking Point on is named for the Hockings.
