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Sadie Singer was born at Lambina Station
near Indulkana in 1950 and her mother's Country is Watjapila
(Yankunytjatjara) and her father's country is west of Indulkana
in the Pitjantjatjara Lands.
Sadie says:
"I spent my childhood in Coober Pedy,
attended school there and as a teenager worked at the Reserve
washing clothes for the local children. I first married in Coober
Pedy. I worked at the Roadhouse for Mrs. Jack and Mary Brewster.
I lived in Coober Pedy with my family for the majority of the
1960's and then in 1975 I traveled to Indulkana, back home to
where I was born. I was a teacher at the Indulkana School from
1975 for one and a half years. I taught the three languages;
Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara and English to the children.
I then moved to Fregon and continued teaching there. I started
my Certificate of Teacher's Education at Batchelor College and
graduated two years later.
We left Fregon in 1983 and returned to
Indulkana. I began work at the community clinic as a health worker
and worked for two and a half years. In this time I traveled
to Adelaide to obtain my Health Worker's certificate.
For something different, I worked in the
Old Store as a salesperson and at the time worked as a Night
Warden for the community to try and look after the children and
stop petrol sniffing. In 1984 I began my career as an artist
at Iwantja,assisting the coordinator at the time, Beverly Old.
I worked as a member of the Indulkana Community
Council for seven years. I then worked as a Police Aid. Now,
I live on my homeland, 10kms outside of Indulkana and today I
am semi-retired.
I teach my grandchildren how to make paintings and how to do
Inma (dancing) and make artifacts. I tell them how to continue
stories about special bush-tuckers, honey ant and jukurrapa (dreamings).
I look after my boys and grandchildren. I teach them how to follow
the fresh tracks to get emu, perenteye, and kangaroos. They have
to hear about their great, great grandmother and know their culture
to keep it strong. The most important thing is to learn how to
speak English to the whites. Young people must learn how to speak
three languages so they can speak to their elders and also the
little tjiitji (children) coming through. This builds a bridge
between cultures. I want the children to know what is right and
what is wrong.
I like printmaking and painting. I also
make artifacts out of wood like lizards, goannas and piti (bowls).
I paint and make things at home to sell at Railway Bore and Iwantja."
Sadie has gained immense respect as an
artist and her paintings, prints and punu are highly sought after.
Sadie successfully exhibited punu at the 2006 Desert Mob Exhibition.
Her 'Truck' prints have appeared in Desert Mob exhibition 2007
in Alice Springs.
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