Lauren Bowyer

Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) Coordinator / Carbon Manager / Company Director

 

I was born in Mareeba Qld in 1985, my family moved to Cape Flattery Silica Mine where my parents both worked for the Mitsubishi Corporation.

As a child growing up, I did School of Distance Education and enjoyed fishing, beachcombing, swimming, dancing, singing hunting and gathering traditional foods.

It was a good life, with only 7 children in the mining camp.

In 1997 I was sent to boarding school in Charters Towers and later completed my high schooling in 2002 at Mareeba State High School.

I never had much interest in art and often opted to follow my Father around in his job as Mining Supervisor during my years at Cape Flattery; my Mother and older Sister were both artists so when I was asked about my artistic skills, I would tell people that the artistic gene was used up on my older Sister as I was more of a sporty type and spent my time playing rugby league, rugby union, softball and boxing.

In 2013 during a Traditional Owner camp at Archer Point, I sat down for the very first time and started out painting burnie beans with bright coloured dots which people seemed to show a lot of interest in.

In 2014, at the age of 29 I began painting on canvas with guidance from my Mother and Sister; I now find it to be a form of relaxation after work and enjoy being able to share my colourful stories with people from all over the world after having had the privilege to sell my art to people from various places such as Germany, Japan, England and America.

My artwork has been used for uniforms for Queensland Health for the Cooktown Multi-Purpose Health Services staff, as well as the official merchandise for the Laura Dance Festival.

I come from two large well known families in Cape York, both families have always worked as station owners/managers, stockmen/women, miners, truck drivers, heavy machinery operators and rangers.

On my Mother’s side I am a proud Aboriginal woman, my Grandfather Jack Doughboy was a Jalunji Warra man, an Annan River/Archer Point Traditional Owner.

My Grandmother Louisa Banjo was a Kunjan Olkol woman and a Traditional Owner from Laura.

On my Father’s side I am of English, German & French descent.