It's NAIDOC week!

It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

FIRSTLY: I acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Gumbaynggirr Nation on which I work and pay my respects to Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Here in Australia, NAIDOC week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country, from 6 July 2025 to 13 July 2025. We are so lucky to have such a rich and diverse culture all around us, and I’m so grateful for this community with storylines back thousands (and thousands) of years. It’s really quite incredible that this heritage not only still exists but has survived a determined fight to eradicate it by the colonisers of Australia (which is still continuing today!).

I could talk about First Nation culture every week of the year, but it’s nice to stop and reflect purposefully and collectively as a country — so we can honour and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme feels so fitting for Creative Parents, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision, & Legacy.

Our role as parents is to guide our children, so I thought it would be perfect to share a beautiful picture book review this week by Tiwi artist Glen Farmer Illortaminni: Tiwi in Paris, published by Thames & Hudson.

“What happens when an artist from the remote Tiwi Islands gets lost in one of the world’s biggest cities?”

About the author: “Glen Farmer Illortaminni was born between the mango and mulana trees where the last old house was standing at Milikapiti, Melville Island. He joined Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association in 1994 where he worked for many years as an artist and arts worker. Glen's work has been exhibited across Australia, including in the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia. Glen also worked at the Muluwurri Museum, a keeping place for Tiwi culture and an important place for remembering the old ways and the Old People.

Today, Glen works for Tiwi Enterprises at Milikapiti farm where he helps grow fruit and vegetables, including pineapples, sweet potato and limes, as well as caring for chickens, ducks and friendly water buffaloes. He enjoys travelling, the footy (Go, Tuyu Buffaloes!) and telling stories. Glen likes to go hunting and fishing, and spending time on Country.”

Starting in the Tiwi Islands — home to just over 3000 people, approximately 80 km north of Darwin, Larrakia Country — we begin the narrative with watercolours of blue, green, and yellow evoking the tropical island and its habitat for turtles and stingrays. The protagonist flies across the seas to Paris as an artist's aid to his uncle, Timothy Cook.

After eating a dinner of frogs’ legs, snails, and spaghetti, he can't sleep and takes a walk through the streets of Paris. Quickly becoming lost in the midst of the foreign urban landscape and the French-speaking locals.

Little scenes appear on the pages with a quickly worked loose line and more of those watercolour washes that blend reality and fiction.

Lost and amazed at the streetscape — fruit stalls, strong cheese, and colourful flowers like the “kapok flowers” of home — our protagonist keeps exploring and moving, trying to find his way back.

The paint on the pages leaves traces of the artist’s hand. Blue flooded rivers, green trees, and pinked hued steps of Parisian architecture.

Humour weaves within the story as the journey gets a little more ridiculous. Lost in Paris with no money, we join a guided tour, a trip to hospital after a bump on the head, and finding shelter in the Notre Dame.

Finally, a kind security guide at the Eiffel Tower helps him find the Australian Embassy where he is reunited with Timothy. “Ngajiti awani tuwanga” he warns, (don't do that again!).

We leave our protagonist in awe of Paris. In his beautiful watercolours, we are also left in awe of his depiction on the pages.

A fun and explorative adventure story, Tiwi in Paris is a delight to read, and children will enjoy the colourful pictures and the sense of amazement at getting lost in such a big city. It reveals resilience and kinship, all while connecting Paris to a little piece of island Country off the coast of Northern Australia.

Happy NAIDOC week!