Gawara Baya was named by the Gugu Badhan People in language, meaning ‘Wind Song’. Allison Hoolihan was inspired by this is creating the logo art, read her story below.

Wuru’s Yama – ‘Leaf to Tell’

“When I think of the Wind Song the most physical and obvious thing I see is the leaf floating through the air and being shifted from one part of the land to the next. The next thing that happens for me is hearing the sound of the leaves blowing in the breeze to make known the wind song.

The leaf which we call wuru in my design is the message that takes the wind song and spreads it across our country, therefore spreading our stories and travels across our country to bring new stories and reiterate the old stories. In my design I have depicted a leaf that represents to me the wind song. The top outline of the leaf is the shape of Mt Fox, in the centre is the bars of the wind song when I make a sound recording of Gawara Baya.

Around the outside of the leaf is the Yamani - Rainbow Serpent who is part of our creation stories. The wuru in my design is a snapshot map of country where the project will be happening bringing forth a new story for Gugu Badhun what this will be is another story to tell. I have made the design in two colours of brown and green depicting the seasons of wet and dry. The colours can be reversed to depict the season. The design I have called Wuru’s Yama- the literal meaning is ‘Leaf to Tell’.”

— Allison Hoolihan, Gugu Badhun artist‍

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Allison Hoolihan: Artist Statement

I have an arts practice called Sovereignty Road. I have completed a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts in 2020. I work in a variety of mediums in art. From printmaking, glassworks, watercolours, acrylics and inks to basket weaving and textiles. I create works by investigating cultural background, stories, history and current social history of Australia.

I find inspiration from ancestors and present-day culture. I have many stories from creation, history and life and this is always expanding. I am inspired by life and utilise my skills into my works. I have been practicing my works for over 20 years, and I like to challenge myself with learning new techniques and combining these with the bank of knowledge I have.