Doing better than Julia

I can't claim credit for either of these photos, but they represent wonderful moments in our weekend; a much better weekend than Julia has experienced I am sure!

We looked after Ella yesterday while her Mummy and Daddy were celebrating Christmas in August with the workers. We met up with Angus and Ollie and C&J at the beautiful Lowe Street Park for a long afternoon of scootering, having crash kaboom rolls on the grass and playing "stacks on" on top of Robbie's stomach. It was all quite idyllic!



I was much too busy last week organising "PD" at the National Museum of Australia to have a good look at the wonderful new Canning Stock Route exhibition myself. Rob and I indulged ourselves this morning with a long interrupted look at what is one of the most amazing and inspiring exhibitions I have ever seen.

The Canning Stock Route was first established around a 100 years ago (although not used now). It's nearly 1900 klms long and runs through three great sandy deserts of Western Australia, allowing movement of cattle southwards, from the Kimberleys. The paintings and objects (and multi media) in the Canning Stock Route collection tell the story, so vividly, of the impact on the Aboriginal people whose Country was bisected by the stock route.

I'm still absorbing the richness of the material but one of the first sparks of realisation for me was that the world renowned Papunya and Turkey Creek Art movements (e.g. Rover Thomas) are only based in the areas they are because these amazing artists were forced off their traditional lands around the stock route. The government blocked off their access to water and sent shooting parties after them if they killed any of the cattle for food!

The exhibition is dominated by the large collection of paintings completed by over 90 Aboriginal artists who participated in this collaborative project to tell their peoples' story of the Canning Stock Route. Despite the injustices, the tragedies and the ongoing disadvantage it is a joyous, exhilarating, spiritual and celebratory exhibition. Every Australian should see it.........even Tony and Julia!

This picture shows three elders from the Martumili Art Centre working on The Seven Sisters painting from the exhibition.