Auntie Joy Duncan

My name is Joy Duncan and I was born in Moree on the 15th January 1941.

I grew up on an Aboriginal Mission called Toomelah which is about 16 kms from the town of Boggabilla.

At the age of 5 years I started school at Toomelah.

After school I would join the other kids and we would all play games together.

Sometimes Mum would take me and my sisters to the river to catch fish.

We also loved to go to water holes to catch yabbies to eat.

Those happy and carefree days with all those wonderful memories I try to recapture when I create my artworks. I want my children and their children to know my history and stories.

The river was lots of fun but fishing was the important thing as fish were our main food sauce.

I am happy that my artworks of fish and fishing nets have become my artistic symbols and people recognise my art through these symbols.

Creating art is as natural as breathing for me. As a founding member of Euraba, originally there was nine Goomeroi women who started Euraba, I am now able to leave the hard work of papermaking to the next generation and just spend my days creating art and mentoring the young ones.