Francine and her Husband Tony, along with their family, live and minister in Melbourne’s west. Francine works with both acrylic and oil on canvas as well as sculpture in many mediums. To view her powerful and significant works and to read more about her, click here.

In Francine’s words…

My people are the Arriyol clan of the Bardi tribe. My mothers people live at Ardyuloon, One Arm Point. We first settled there on the mainland in the 1970′s after the closing of the Sunday Island Mission..  I was born in Derby Native hospital  during the time my people spent there on the Island. After a few years we were forced to leave Sunday Island because government ceased all funding for the mission. They were hard times in those days being forced to live in Derby until two former missionaries, Dave & Ingrid Drysdale took us back to our homeland. We went back to Sunday Island and tried to live back there again but it was too difficult as medical supplies and food was harder to get. We then moved to settle for the first time on the mainland at Ardyuloon I was raised by my grandparents and english was our second language. My fathers people are the Kurajarrifrom Bidyadanga.

I was taught all the ways of my people and culture. We lived off the land and sea and travelled from island to island wherever the water holes were full. My family were the first to set up camp on the beach at Ardyuloon.  My grandmothers brother set up camp on Biyana island just across from Ardyuloon.  I remember when my grandparents dug the first well for water at Joligo beach. Soon many more people came back there and worked hard to clear the bush by hand to make an airstrip for the flying doctor to land on and then to build houses.  I later went to the city to become educated and only got to go home for school holidays to my people and our tropical coastline.

My grandfather with dinner

	My first bough shade school with teacher Brian Carter