Celebrating our First People

It's Australia Day, and as you know, here at Roofus we celebrate the bold spirit of Australia daily. To us, any and every day is Australia Day, as we live in such a beautiful, sacred and blessed country. It feels wrong however to use the date of white settlement – January 26 – to celebrate unity and inclusion in our land.

I believe that the way forward to healing in our nation is to change the date away from a date that represents suffering of our indigenous people.

So instead, today I choose to celebrate Minnie Pwerle and one of her wonderful works: ‘Awelye – Atnwengerrp.’ Her work is typically characterised by a series of long, straight lines painted in varying widths and colours. These patterns represent the lines painted on the top half of women’s bodies during ceremonies in Minnie’s country of Atnwengerrp.

How beautiful it is! Thank you Minnie. I am ever inspired by Aboriginal art in my work and life. #changethe date