GRACIE MOSQUITO

Warlayirti Artists

Gracie was born at Sturt Creek Station in 1955. Gracie’s father was from Paruku (Lake Gregory) where Gracie grew up until she was about 6 years old. Gracie was the youngest of a big family.

Then, one day a priest found her by the lake and took her to the Old Balgo Mission where she was raised in the dormitory with her elder sister. Gracie began school at the Old Balgo Mission, but finished her schooling at the new mission site- present day Balgo (Wirrimanu). When she finished school she worked as a health worker in Balgo and married her husband and had five sons. Gracie now has eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Balgo elders Bai Bai Napangardi and Eubena Nampitjin and Mulan elders Bessie and Vernonica Lulu taught Gracie about the traditional ways of bush medicine and how to prepare them. This knowledge culminated in a successful, though too-brief, collaboration between medical folks from Broome coming down to work alongside Gracie Mosquito and Tossie Baadjo, to produce, package and sell the bush medicine to local communities in the Kimberley area. A house was allocated in the community where they set up the bush medicine operation.

Gracie is a respected elder in the community and is also a church leader for Balgo working with the Parish to organise community events and services.