Yvonne standing in her living room holding the Red Ochre Prize award received at the Australia Council’s National Indigenous Arts Awards (2016).

Yvonne, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman

Yvonne is not only an outstanding SA Housing Trust tenant, but also a proud Ngarrindjeri woman and an internationally recognised artist whose works feature in major galleries across Australia and overseas.

She practices the traditional art of Ngarrindjeri weaving, using sustainably gathered sedge reeds to create pieces that unite people, history, and culture while carrying powerful messages of self-discovery and healing.

Yvonne began her artistic journey in 1982 after attending a weaving workshop. Since then, she has exhibited across the country and represented Australia on the world stage. Her achievements include:

• Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement (2015)
• Artist of the Year in the NAIDOC SA Awards (2016)
• Red Ochre Prize at the Australia Council’s National Indigenous Arts Awards (2016)

One of her most notable recent works is ‘Empty Arms’, a 2023 collaboration with South Australian designer Karl Meyer. The sculpture stands in Rymill Park/Murlawirrapurka as the centrepiece of a memorial and ‘Place of Reflection’ for members of the Stolen Generations.

The empty-armed mother figure ‘has no eyes because she saw too much, no ears because she heard it all and no mouth because she couldn’t speak about it’, Yvonne explains.

Today, Yvonne continues weaving but is most passionate about passing on her cultural knowledge to future generations. She says weaving offers a healthy way to cope with stress.

'I talk to a lot of people - indigenous, non-indigenous, all different nationalities,' Yvonne says.

"They tell me their stories of what they’re going through. I try to heal them, by telling them little stories or weaving with them. When you do the weaving, you just concentrate on where that next stitch is going to be. Everything else goes away, and you feel better."

The Housing Trust has many amazing tenants from all different backgrounds, each with their own stories to tell and we look forward to sharing many more.