Susan Merry

BORN: Murchison Region

LANGUAGE GROUP: Wajarri

LIVES: Mullewa, Western Australia

Susan was born at the creek near the shearing shed on Meeberrie Station in the Murchison region. She is one of 10 children who were all born out on Country. Susan has a strong connection to her Country and her Wajarri people.

Susan loves to paint stories about growing up on station country, sharing these with her children, grandchildren and family. She still lives in the Murchison region, at Mullewa, with her partner Chubby and family. In recent years Susan has opened a small gallery-shop called ‘Susie’s Marra Barndi’ where she paints, displays her artwork and meets many travellers. She is also an active member of Yamaji Art and for many years painted in a shared Women’s Studio known as Nyarlu Barndi Ngurra, on the main street of Mullewa.

As a bush kid, Susan speaks fondly about coming home for school holidays from the Palatine Mission at Tardun and getting together with the other kids, to go hunting and fishing again. After rain they’d look for bimba, the sweet bush sap, goglas the bush pears and bush tucker seeds and peas. Susan now loves to take her children and grandkids out on country, to fish, hunt and share language and stories of Country.