“I am a proud Aboriginal woman who was born and raised on Cherbourg (Wakka Wakka Country). I have connections to the Koa people of the Winton area through my grandmother, and to the Kuku-Yalanji people of North Queensland through my father and grandfather. My mother was a member of the stolen generations with connections to Brisbane and Southwest Queensland.
As a consultant, I deliver cultural and educational workshops across a range of sectors and industries to better support organisations in engaging and collaborating with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. At age 16, I was appointed teacher–in–charge of the first kindergarten in Cherbourg, and I have been raising awareness of the importance of early childhood education since the late 1960s. During this time my employment fell under what is now known as the stolen wages. I have enjoyed a long and diverse professional career, including working for over twenty years in various prisons and youth detention centres, where I delivered cultural and educational programs. I am kept busy as a board member at Reconciliation Queensland, an Honorary Senior Fellow of the University of Sunshine Coast, and an Honorary Research Senior Fellow of The University of Queensland. My background sees me also on the publications committee of Early Childhood Australia. In 2023, I was honoured with the ECA Barbara Creaser Award for my work in the early childhood sector, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from QUT in 2024.
What does art mean to me? I’ve always been inspired by the community and family around me, and the paintings and crafts they made. My older brothers and sisters told me stories as they painted and carved. Our culture carries on through our artwork.
I wanted to be photographed in this setting because I wanted to be comfortable in my own home, surrounded by photographs and memories of my family.”