Proud Gomeroi artist Tess Reading turned heads with her amazing design work at the inaugural Aboriginal Ranger Gathering held at Trelawney Station, Somerton, in June.
Her deadly threads can be seen across Australia, with more than 150 Aboriginal Rangers from across New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory now wearing her designer hoodies.
Tess has also redesigned all of Tamworth Regional Council’s corporate branding, including council uniforms, street banners, business cards, and social media.
Tess is a Tamworth Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) employee and has worked in the land rights space for the past five years, particularly the Bumbira art and culture program, which focuses on women’s social and emotional wellbeing for ages 15 and above.
“I’ve used art as a way of coping, sharing my emotions and telling my story. I’ve found that with the Lands Council, being able to give that to other women in the community is really helpful,” Tess said.
“The Ranger Gathering artwork represents all of the Rangers coming together, that sharing of knowledge. And within that artwork, you can see the lines coming out, which is that knowledge sharing. The colours are all based off the land,” she said.
“So you’ve got your greens and your browns and your reds that represent, obviously, the water as well, with the blue; and browns for the dirt, and the greens for the plants and the trees. Then, within that, you’ve got your people sitting in that central circle to represent that we’re all doing the same thing, working towards the same aim.”
Tamworth Regional Councillor and proud Gomeroi man, Cr Marc Sutherland, said almost 10,000 Aboriginal people call the Tamworth region home. “To be able to include the story and the voice of Aboriginal people within the corporate branding of the organisation (TRC) is a really historic step,” he said.
Cr Sutherland was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Aboriginal Ranger Gathering and attended the first day.
“Making sure Indigenous land management practices are at the forefront of the way that we look after the environment is such a powerful thing,” he said.
He added that the inaugural gathering was a way to share information and connect “just like our Old People always have.”
Advertising with New England Times is a cost effective and reliable way to reach New England locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.