24 July, 2025
Wondering who designed the Deadly threads at the inaugural Aboriginal Ranger Gathering at Trelawney Station last month? Well look no further than proud Gomeroi artist and Tamworth LALC employee, Tess Reading!
You may recall Tess redesigned all of Tamworth Regional Council’s corporate branding, including Council uniforms, street banners, business cards and social media.
Well this time Tess’s latest project will be seen across Australia with more than 150 Aboriginal Rangers from across New South Wales, the ACT and the Northern Territory now wearing her designer hoodie.
“The artwork represents all of the Rangers coming together, that sharing of knowledge. And within that artwork, you can see the lines coming out, which is that knowledge sharing. And then also the colours are all based off the land,’’ Tess told NSWALC.
“So you’ve got your greens and your browns and your reds, that represent obviously the water as well, with the blue and browns for the dirt and the greens for the plants and the trees. And then within that, you’ve got your people sitting in that central circle just to represent that we’re all doing the same thing, working towards the same aim.’’
Tess has worked in the Land Rights space for the past 5 years, particularly the Bumbira art and culture program, which focuses on women’s social and emotional wellbeing from ages 15 above. “I’ve used (art) as a way of coping, sharing my emotions and telling my story. I’ve found that with the Lands Council, being able to give that to other women in the community really helpful,’’ Tess said.
Having some fun with the captions below!
