On a mission to repatriate

At his Welshpool research base, anthropologist Ross Chadwick sits on one of the WA Museum's most precious collections.

As curator of the museum's indigenous artefacts, Mr Chadwick leads the effort to return ancestral remains of hundreds of indigenous people and thousands of sacred artefacts to WA indigenous communities.

"When we've been out to community groups and told them how many remains we hold from their area, the initial reaction is often shock and emotion," he said.

Since 1999, the ancestral remains of about 213 people have been returned and reburied in their homeland.

Sam Tomlin