In our attempt to produce a motto to go with the crest produced for the Rosendo Salvado bicentenary year we soon came to realise how difficult it was to encapsulate this major West Australian figure in a succinct statement.

We decided that abandoning the idea of a motto and leaving an empty space would say more and would capture the essence of this commemoration which is about introducing an ongoing interactive conversation rather than making a definitive statement about this extraordinary character.

Through the events of this bicentenary, we intend to leave this ‘empty space’ for remembrance, comment, opinion, interpretation, exploration and reconciliation. It will be a conversation involving the monastic community, the Aboriginal peoples, historians and other academics, and the general public at large.

On behalf of the monastic community I invite you to join in the various bicentennial events and activities planned to commemorate the life and legacy of Rosendo Salvado – there’s something for everyone. These events will take place both in New Norcia and Perth. The Bicentenary calendar on our website (http://www.newnorcia.com.au/bicentenary/calendar) will provide regular updates.

No doubt, a myriad of emotions will surface as the year unfolds, but it is a journey well worth taking and worthy of celebration too.

This bicentenary provides a rare opportunity for us to conserve and display the significant and often fragile artefacts relating to Salvado, to lay the foundations for a deeper study of all aspects of his life, and to develop resources for the future in the unique to town he established.

Abbot John