'It's the right thing to do': Australian family returns millenia-old Filipino pottery pieces to the Philippines

SBS Australia

2 days ago

Kevin Ernest Weldon was a celebrated Australian publisher and philanthropist, known for landmark works like The Margaret Fulton Cookbook and The Macquarie Dictionary, and was awarded the Order of Australia in 1994.
In the 1970s, Weldon initiated the Filipino Heritage book series with Filipino writer Alfredo Roces, aiming to make Philippine history accessible and engaging to the public.
As part of supporting Dr. Robert Fox's archaeological research in the Philippines, Weldon received the 17 pots, believed to have come from Southern Tagalog region.
For decades, Weldon kept the collection safe in his home.Following his passing in 2023, his children, Cecile, Leonie, and Harold decided to donate the culturally significant collection to the Philippine government. The official handover took place at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney, with representatives from the National Museum of the Philippines present. SBS Filipino
04/06/2025 12:30 In a moving account shared by his daughter Cecille Weldon during a handover ceremony at the Philippine Consulate in Sydney, the life and legacy of Australian publisher Kevin Ernest Weldon were brought into focus through his deep cultural ties to the Philippines. Weldon, renowned for publishing landmark Australian works such as The Margaret Fulton Cookbook and The Macquarie Dictionary, also made a significant impact abroad—particularly in the Philippines—through the landmark Filipino Heritage publishing project launched in 1972.
According to Cecille, Kevin Weldon's relationship with the Philippines deepened during the declaration of Martial Law. As political uncertainty disrupted cultural initiatives and endangered contributors like Editor-in-Chief Alfredo Roces, Weldon stepped in. He brought Roces to Australia and helped him gain permanent residency so they could complete the project in Sydney by 1979.
After the passing of Kevin Weldon in 2023, his children—Cecille, Harold, and Leonie—felt a shared conviction that it was time for the artefacts to return to their country of origin.
Cecille also recounted how her father supported the continuation of archaeological research led by Dr. Robert Fox, famed for his work in the Tabon Cave complex, whose work was at risk due to withdrawn government funding. Weldon privately financed the efforts, and in appreciation, Fox's team entrusted him with 17 ancient earthenware pots excavated in the Southern Tagalog region—some believed to be burial or fertility artefacts. 'These pots are interwoven with the history of Filipino Heritage,' Cecile explained. 'My father promised to personally ensure they were well cared for over the years—and he did.' Weldon safeguarded the pots for decades, and after his passing in 2023, his children—Cecille, Harold, and Leonie—chose to return the artefacts to the Philippines, recognising their cultural significance not just as objects, but as pieces of the nation's identity and heritage.
'When my father passed away, my brother, sister, and I were united in our desire to return the pots to the Philippines—to let them come home after their long stay at our house,'
We like to think that we've become part of their story, and that my father's legacy—his courage to keep a story alive when Martial Law threatened to silence it—travels back with them. Cecille Weldon Cecile also acknowledged the broader importance of repatriation in all its forms.
'As we stand here on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, we are reminded that these vessels, rich with meaning, echo the stories of many ancient cultures. Just as we return these artefacts to the Philippines, we hope for the safe return of cultural items to Indigenous communities here in Australia too.'
Left: National Museum archaeologist Taj Vitales carefully inspects and prepares the ancient pots for transport. Right: Weldon family heirs sign the deed of donation with Jeremy Barns of the National Museum of the Philippines and Philippine Consul General Charmaine Aviquivil, during the official handover ceremony in Sydney on May 30, 2025. Photo by Edinel Magtibay/SBS Filipino In her message during the handover, Consul General Charmaine Aviquivil underscored the cultural and diplomatic significance of the return. 'This observance reflects our country's commitment to a strategic partnership, and illustrates that relationships grounded in mutual appreciation and respect are the ones that truly endure,' Aviquivil said. 'To Miss Cecile, Miss Leonie, and the other members of the Weldon family, we sincerely thank you for your generosity. Your act of kindness honors not only the spirit of preserving heritage, but also the ideals of friendship and cultural understanding.' For Jeremy Barns, Director General of the National Museum of the Philippines, the occasion was both professional and deeply personal. 'As I accept this important donation through which we will remember the enduring legacy of Kevin Weldon, may it unearth knowledge for the better understanding of our history and inspire others to be stewards of our heritage,' Barns said at the handover ceremony.
They are from very significant archaeological sites in Southern Luzon, dating to around 1,500 to 2,000 years ago, mostly from what we call the Metal Age of the Philippines. This was a time when a distinct Philippine civilization was emerging from Neolithic times—an era that eventually gave rise to the barangay societies encountered by early Western explorers Jeremy Barns, Director, National Museum of the Philippines
Representatives from the National Museum of the Philippines, the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, and the Weldon family pose with the Kevin Weldon Earthenware Pottery Collection—17 archaeological artefacts formally turned over as part of a historic cultural repatriation.
Barns added that the returned artefacts not only provide insights into the craftsmanship and daily life of early Filipinos but also allow scholars to speculate on their spiritual and symbolic uses. 'The more examples of these kinds of pottery we can gather, the bigger the sample on which to theorise what the significance was to our ancestors,' he said. The 17 pots have already arrived in Manila, where they will undergo conservation and further study before going on public display at the National Museum of the Philippines. 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino