WELLBORN
New England

2021
110 x 130cm

Topic: Detached 
My Country, (Ngarabal Country) is the area along northern New South Wales, covering from Ashford and Glenn Innes to Tenterfield – stretching along the area of Beardy River and the Seven Mile catchment.

In the 1830s, squatters began invading this area and surrounding regions with their plagues of livestock. Colonization plunged Aboriginal society into utter chaos, driving us off land and decimating the traditional way of life. The traumas of the early colonial period remain deeply carved into the Country and its people.

However, because of our ancestors’ struggles, fierce resistance, and determination to survive, we are still here.

Detached by the great conspiracy of silence, the dominant myth of peaceful settlement, and narratives touting the achievements of explorers and pastoral pioneers, our story of resistance and survival during the first few decades of the occupation has faded into obscurity. Leaving me, like most, detached from the power of our bloodlines.

This piece represents the battles of resilience.