Created on the CHOICE building as part of the Perfect Match program.
Cooks River has another name, Goolay'yari. First Nations peoples were nurtured by the pristine Goolay'yari, through fishing, birding and feasting upon the once abundant plant life and shellfish. Auntie Fran Bodkin tells the dreaming story of the Pelican man, Goolay'yari.
The Goolay'yari artwork is a night-time scene which celebrates the local flora and fauna of Cooks River and the surrounding Gumbramorra wetlands that feed into the river. It depicts edible saltbushes, native grasses, godwits, Garal'ga (yellowtail black cockatoo), Muruduwin (fairy wren) and a large Goolay'yari/Garranga bumarii (pelican).
The artist sees this artwork as a way to give back to the lands that raised him and the vibrant communities that call the area home.
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