Bridget is a Tharnpa woman from Wadeye, and a self-taught artist. Her language is Murrinhpatha. She has worked at the Women’s Centre since 2009 and is an integral part of the design and production team. Bridget is the great-granddaughter of Nym Bunduck – one of Australia’s most significant bark painters - whose art is held in national collections including the National Gallery of Australia and NSW Art Gallery. Bridget’s designs are humorous and classic – based on stories and experiences from her country and her life. She has three children and loves fishing and picking pandanus to make dilly bags.

Wadeye, NT

'I was in 1955 in Daly River, Northern Territory. From there I grew up in the bush, I didn’t hardly know the place I only stayed in Daly River there when we wanted to get tea, sugar, and flour, we moved around a lot. I never spoken English until I lived in Port Keats.

When I was young, I got sick and I was flown into Darwin Hospital, when I got better, they sent me to Port Keats, it was the wrong place, I didn’t know anyone. They put me in the mission school. My family heard that I was there, they walked from Daly River to Port Keats to look for me I wanted to be with my family, but I was kept away. My family brought me food from the bush, but I wasn’t allowed to go near my family. They were kept away. We would do hand signs to communicate hello, goodbye. I would tell them to take the food back and eat it themselves so the priests and nuns wouldn’t know. At school we all spoke different languages, we used hand signs. I met my wife at Port Keats, she was from Belyuen, she had no family here, her name is Irene.

At school we didn’t understand letters and numbers, we were given food, damper, and something to wear. School gave me an English name, Timothy and showed me how to spell my name. There was no pencils or paper we would write it on the floor in black ashes. When I started to learn how to read and write I wrote my real name Namorok. I started drawing at school.

I was sent to Kormilda College that’s where I learned how to read and write, add and multiply. When school finished, I came back to Port Keats. We were given jobs, the girls were given jobs as nurses, the boys were given jobs teaching and operating machinery. I first started teaching and then worked driving graders and bulldozers. I worked in Port Keats and Parlumpa. I started painting and would use colours from grinding rocks I would collect them while driving the grader. My family would ask ‘why have you got all these rocks in your bag?’ They didn’t know I was becoming an artist; they didn’t show me, we had no axe to cut bark from the tree. I started buying paints and paintbrushes from the shop. Nowadays I like to paint on canvas and draw Perrderr'

Wadeye, NT

Raymond Parmbuk has worked in The Men's Shed in Wadeye for 2 years.

‘It's good, I come in the morning, I prep my canvas, have a cuppa. I think about what I'm going to paint, maybe I'll do a different one. I like to paint my totems and my family's totems, I have big mob of totems; kookaburra, dingo, sugar glider. My wife's totem is goanna, I don't eat them but some people do. I used to go out fishing with mum and dad, they showed me where to catch bream, long neck turtle and water python. I'm a fresh water man’

Wadeye, NT

‘My name is Austin Djorlom , I currently live in Ngangmirriyanga (Palumpa) N.T, but I am originally from Oenpelli, Arnhem land N.T. I have been inspired to do art since I was little boy from my family who consist of painters/ weavers/ carvers / musicians. I hope to teach my family these traditions in the future to continue my family’s art style for future generations. My dad, Eric Djorlom who is also an artist, taught me how to paint. I have been making art since I was a school boy. About 15 years ago I started painting. The challenges of living in Nganmirriyanga are it's hard to get supplies and no tourism here so hard to sell. My plan for the future is to sell my art all over the world and become a successful artist’

Nganmarriyanga (Palumpa), NT

‘I was born in the bush at a place called Christmas Creek, they had to cut the cord with the edge of a mud mussel shell and wrapped me in paper bark. I was born at the same time as my cousin. My totem is Watjan Kurribek (dingo). I lived in Daly, then moved to Peppimenarti with my mum and grandparents. I went to school at Kormilda College. We were in school when Cyclone Tracey hit in 1976, we hid in the library, it was the only safe place for us.

When a family member passed away at school, we all moved back to Peppimenarti and we started working there. I worked at the shop helping my aunty. This is when I started watching her weave after work, I didn't know about painting.

I was around 19 when I moved to Wudikapildayerr, I stayed with my dad and grandpa. I met my husband at Wudy, we moved to Daly where his family was, and we had four children. I moved back to Daly with my children and still live here. I have watched my children have their own children.

Deewin Kirim (CDP) from Peppimenarti would visit Wudi they brought canvas, paint and paintbrushes, and this is when I started to paint. I love to paint anything that comes from my mind and my country. I have been painting for a long time and still going. My paintings have taken me to big cities, Perth, Margaret River and Canberra. I like to sell my paintings at Barunga Festival’

Wudikapildayerr, NT

Born in 1956 in Belyuen NT, he moved back to Wadeye for work at 15 years of age. Robin has developed his unique style focusing on totems using traditional local symbols and artistic geometric patterns to represent the land he comes from.

‘I am Wangka, my language is Mari Tjevin, I was born in Belyuen, I left Belyuen when I was 21 years old. I worked for the council. We used to go out hunting, fishing, hunting pigs, goose turtle, long neck and short neck turtle. I left Belyuen when my mother passed away. I came here to Wadeye, stayed here found a job in Housing, met my wife, we got engaged and got married in the church and have stayed here. I started painting watching Claver Dumoo, I watched how he paint. I like to paint clap sticks, didgeridoo, boomerang, on bark. I like to paint my Totems and other Totems.’

Wadeye, NT

Born 1970 in Wadeye David is a supervisor and artist at the Shed. David's artwork often contains dot paintings and animal drawings passed down for generations within his family.

Wadeye, NT

Perpetua was born in Daly River, she makes Dilly bags. Her Aunty taught her how to weave baskets when she was a teenager. All her sisters used to make dilly bags together. Perpetua is a master weaver, her ability to exemplify the traditional weaving techniques and colours from her area, her dilly bag, baskets, mats and fish nets are beautifully made, strong and functional.

Nganambala (Emu Point), NT

‘I am from Darwin, I live in Wadeye, my mother’s country is here, I speak Murrinhpatha.

I dream about all my stories (paintings), about family carrying all their spears, family at the beach, fishing. They come back to camp, they make fire, they make two fires, cook fish, mud crab, everything, not hungry anymore. Makes you big and strong, helps you to keep going.

When I dream, I think ‘I’ll do this tomorrow’, it comes from my mind. I was wobbly at first because I’m not used to it. I was thinking to myself ‘keep trying, keep trying’, then I got use to all this. I got smooth and slow. I paint old people fishing, hunting for goose. I don’t give up I keep going til I finish’.

Wadeye, NT

‘My totem is water snake, I'm from Peppimenarti. I work at the Men's Shed, I like working here. I like to carve, make paintings. We go out bush and we find the right tree. We collect bamboo to make fish wire. We make a fire, we straighten them. I'll take the fish wire to the billabong, I'll look for barra. Sometimes I'll go to the Moyle River. Before I worked with my father mustering bullocky and fencing, I worked out at Fitzmaurice River, It was hard work, we built yards to hold the bullocky. The truck would arrive, load the bullocky and take them to Parlumpa. We don't do this anymore’

Wadeye, NT

Wadeye, NT

'I was born in Darwin in 1968. I went to school in Darwin, my dad use to play didgeridoo in Darwin. My brought me here to Port Keats. I learnt how to draw with lead pencils at school, then I started painting with a brush on canvas I bought from the shop. I like to paint crocodile barramundi and turtle. I like to paint people dancing. I use to sniff petrol when I was at school. I went to South Australia and stayed there for 7 months to get better. I started working at the Men's Shed in Wadeye , I've been there for a long time now.

Wadeye, NT

I'm from Port Keats. I was still a young man looking at my mum and dad painting dots. I like painting dot paintings. I like to paint everything on country.

Wadeye, NT

I am a Ngangi Kurrungurr woman. I come from a small Outstation called Nemarluk, it's my mothers country.

Nganambala (Emu Point), NT

My country is Legune Station, Northern Territory, I lived there as a kid. When my father passed away, we moved to Wadeye with my mum. I went to school here and I speak Murin Patha. My Aunty taught me how to weave dilly bag, before that I didn't know. She would take me out to collect merrepen and show me how to get colour from the roots and seeds. I have just started to paint, I only knew about weaving. I like to paint at home.

Wadeye, NT

Wadeye, NT, Australia