Jimmy Donegan

Jimmy Donegan sitting with paints and canvas

Jimmy was born near Lake Yunpul – his birth country which is a mainly dry salt lake between sand hills, on the other side of Linden Bore. He grew up as a ‘bush baby’ in traditional way around Blackstone and Mantamaru. He moved with his family to the mission at Warburton where he went to school with his two sisters Elaine and Molly.

After finishing school he went to live at Linden Bore, walking everywhere, no car, living bush way.

He moved to Amata in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY Lands) where he met his wife who was originally from Kalka on the South Australian/Western Australian border. He said he was married Aboriginal way, no church. They had four children together.

At one point Jimmy said he did some mining work at Pipalyatjara, near Kalka in the APY Lands.

Jimmy brought his wife and children to live at Blackstone because of family ties to country.He is long-time widowed and divides his time between Kalka and Blackstone, as well as the APY Lands where he still has family links.

Jimmy is a master wood craftsman, rich in culture, stories and a strong man for law and culture. His spears, spear throwers and boomerangs are prized and in much demand. In 2010 he won the 27th Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award.

Further Artist Information

Community: Papulankutja (Blackstone) : WA

Artwork

No items found