Creative Regions National Summit 2017

The Creative Regions National Summit is a biannual event, created to inform future policy development, foster conversation and provide a platform for discussions around arts, health, well-being and regional communities. This year’s event was jointly presented by Regional Arts Australia (RAA) and the Regional Australia Institute, and hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Regional Arts.

Social Change Hairdressing at Desert Festival 2017

This week I join Mel Balkan to deliver a social change hairdressing salon as part of the Desert Festival in Alice Springs. We are crimping, shaving and styling for four big nights of wild desert style, celebrating the unique aesthetic which is so striking in remote and central Australia. As always, we will be creating

Appointed as GEDC Chair

I am delighted to share the news that State Cabinet has recently approved my appointment as Chair to the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission Board of Management. The GEDC is a West Australian Government agency committed to encouraging and promoting economic and social activity in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. I was appointed to the Board in 2014

Australia’s most remote fashion week

  The ABC has just done a great story on the Warburton Fashion Week 2016 event I have been working on with Wilurarra Creative and the Ngaanyatjarra Health Service. It’s so fantastic to see a story celebrating the incredible, vibrant style culture of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. Here’s your chance to get a taste.

Rolling on a red dirt runway

This July I am in Warburton, on the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia, preparing for Warburton Fashion Week 2016. Wilurarra Creative is presenting a month of styling, performance and hair activities, leading up to a week of fashion-focused events. There will be a whole lotta fun and also some serious work to be done; you can

Desert Writing: Stories from country

This lil beauty just arrived! It’s an anthology of writing by people who live in the remote communities of Australia, including me. My work is a short story based on some of my sweetest experiences living in Warburton. Here’s a bit more about the book from the publisher: In September 2013, just before the weather turned

What does Sir Madam Salon sound like?

LISTEN NOW Sir Madam Salon recently met with Nathan Morris from ABC Goldfields to have chat about social change hairdressing. But, as anyone who has experienced one of our salons knows, it wouldn’t be Sir Madam Salon without a bit of topsy turvy and so we asked Nathan to step into the role of hairdresser. Luckily

These ranges will be calling me back

I was very excited to be able to return last month to Warburton Community, in the remote Ngaanyatjarra Lands, as part of a Wilurarra Creative project to create a fashion publication. It was an incredible opportunity to visit the community which has shaped so much of my thinking on social change hairdressing. When I left

Re-elected as RAA Chair

Regional Arts Australia recently held our AGM in Dubbo, NSW, which is the location for Artlands Dubbo 2016. This was a fantastic opportunity to hear about what is planned for Artlands, and to get a sense of the incredible support in Dubbo for the event. I particularly enjoyed our dinner with Mayor Mathew Dickerson and

Sir Madam Salon is a sterling success

Sir Madam Salon is a pop-up hair salon interactive performance which recently featured at the Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill. For three days we invited people to come along to enjoy styling each other’s hair and be part of the salon chatter about fashion, art, culture, gender and remote Australia. Want to see more? You

Elected RAA President

Last month I was elected to the role of President of Regional Arts Australia. This board meeting immediately preceded the electrifying RAA Summit: Arts & Edges in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Regional Australia is home to unique experiences, communities, cultures, landscapes and art-making. Regional Arts Australia is the key national body representing those working with, and for, the arts

Appointed to Board of the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission

I am honoured to have been appointed to the Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC). Regional Development Minister Terry Redman announced the appointments last week. The GEDC promotes economic and social activity in the region stretching from the south coast up to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, an area more than three times the size of Victoria. It is

Summit Highlights Launch in Kalgoorlie

  Kalgoorlie has been buzzing since the Regional Arts Australia Summit: Arts & Edges Highlights Launch last Friday. The launch, including some truly moving performances by local singers and actors, was live streamed. There’s something quite amazing about watching your hometown step up, engage and shine. And of course, if you are coming to the

Big sky electric heat

I’m loving being back in the big sky electric heat of the Australian desert. At the moment my two favourite things in Kalgoorlie are the ever-cheerful ladies of Fossick who keep running such stylish events, and this crunchy dubstep timelapse video of the Superpit by Jody Brown. Desert aesthetic makes my heart soar!

Queen of the Desert film launched

Earlier this year I did some work as a Script Advisor on Alex Kelly’s fantastic new documentary, Queen of the Desert. The film features Starlady, a gutsy and gorgeous hairdresser who works in central Australia – including as a guest in our very own Wilurarra Salon. The film launched in October, and you can see