Rings

Rings
2026
Acrylic on canvas
41 × 51 cm

This year’s NAIDOC Week celebrates 50 years of recognising and
honouring our people. While this milestone is significant, our
story stretches back more than 65,000 years.
Imagine cutting through the trunk of an ancient tree and seeing
only its final five growth rings. Those rings tell only a fraction
of its life. Without the thousands that came before, you cannot
understand its true strength or history.

This painting is a tribute to every generation that has carried
our culture forward across more than 65,000 years. Each ring
represents the passing of knowledge, language, story and
cultural practice from one generation to the next. Together
they remind us that our resilience today is built upon countless
generations who came before us.