REFLECTING on a life growing up on Wiradyuri land is what led siblings Tim and Patti Miller to lives in the creative industry. And now they will be sharing their connection to the land with Bathurst residents.
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On Saturday, May 4, the sibling duo will be presenting a talk 'Growing up on Wiradyuri Country' to audiences at the Bathurst Library.
From 3pm, the brother and sister duo will be showcasing their creative talents, with Tim Miller a successful painter, and Patti Miller an accomplished writer.
This is something Bathurst Library Services manager Patou Clerc said she was very excited about.
"Basically, why they are coming to the Library is because both of them grew up on Wiradyuri country, and their family had been there for a long time ... 175 years," she said.
Their colonial ancestors were mainly farmers, deeply connected to the land, but at the same time knew little of the original people and the effects of colonialism and dispossession.
By coincidence, as adults both Tim and Patti decided to explore their connection to Wiradyuri land through their respective mediums of painting and writing.
From the land to a life of creativity
"Tim did research looking at the diaries of the settlers, and painted the landscape in the Central West as it would have looked at the time," Ms Clerc said.
"One thing that he said he did is wherever there were Wiradyuri artefacts found, in his painting that meant that it was a location where people lived and he indicates that with smoke in his painting.
"And Patti wrote about her time in her books, including The Mind of a Thief."
Ms Clerc said that event was particularly important, especially considering the current political content in which it will be presented.
"I think it's important to have talks like that, especially in 2024 with the bicentenary of martial law and there's a lot of conversation around that, and it's a good opportunity for truth telling," she said.
"It's pretty much focused on 'how do you belong to a country that was stolen?', and that's a deep question and a great question."
Bookings for the event are essential, and can be made by calling The Bathurst Library, or via walk-ins.
For more information on this and other events at the library, visit the website library.bathurst.nsw.gov.au.
