Brochure for Raintree Collection of Tiwi fashions displayed throughout Australia and appreciated by overseas visitors. ***************************************************
A dynamic , major force in the promotion of Aboriginal arts and crafts, Darwin resident , Ms Shirley Collins, has a strong feeling of betrayal , of being crushed by the sacked Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission , its successor, Indigenous Business Australia , an army of indifferent politicians , the media , the legal system and others.
As the head of Darwin’s Raintree Aboriginal Art Gallery , which opened in 1986, she fostered Aboriginal art across North Australia and played a large part in its global appreciation and understanding .
Ms Collins set up an exhibition of Aboriginal art at Rhode Island as part of the America’s Cup celebrations , she accommodated in one of the grand mansions built by the early tycoons, such as the Vanderbilts ; played a part in a large exhibition of Oenpelli art in Japan , viewed by huge crowds , the subject of extensive TV coverage and a book ; corresponded and conferred with major national and international collectors of Aboriginal art ; advised the large scale British collector and investor , Lord McAlpine, the man who had a big impact on Broome ; and , as explained in an earlier Little Darwin post, arranged , in a glittering event , for Lady Susan Renouf to launch an exhibition by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas ,designer of the Aboriginal flag ; using Tiwi designs , she developed the Raintree Collection of clothing and textiles ,including wedding dresses, displayed at venues throughout Australia, bought by overseas tourists wanting something different to take home, NT MLA Dawn Lawrie photographed in a Tiwi skirt, Tamie Fraser attended a Raintree interstate fashion parade; the National Gallery of Victoria sought information from Collins about Tiwi designs from 1970 for a major exhibition it was planning ; former CLP Chief Ministers Paul Everingham and Shane Stone praised Collins in the Legislative Assembly; named Businesswoman of the Year , she was deeply involved in tourist promotion in the Darwin CBD.
Not bad for the daughter of a Stolen Generation mother from Borroloola . Shirley’s mother , Bridget Johnson , was placed in Darwin's Kahlin Compound when she was eight ; on her death in 1952, Shirley, just 14, took control of running the house and looking after three younger siblings .
Her first job as a teenager in Darwin was in a Chinese soft drink factory where she watched bottles , some of which exploded, whizzing around on a belt. Shirley’s paternal grandmother , concerned about the exploding bottles , saw an advertisement in the Northern Territory News for a Girl Friday , told her to apply. Gran prepared her for the interview by brushing her hair, applying lipstick for the first time and then Pond’s beauty cream.
The job was hers - in the bookbinding section at the News , in the old tin bank building , Smith Street, where she was given a special tool, like a piece of bone, which she still has, to fold paper. To earn extra money, she worked back at night feeding pages for the newspaper into the clanking old press one at a time. To give her added experience, she was put on the front counter to take advertisements. Taking money to the bank was another task. As she walked to the bank ,the driver of an Army bus used to whistle at her . She stuck her head up in the air and took no notice-at first . Marriage followed , children. Shirley subsequently found herself heading an office cleaning team for a Darwin accountant , Barrie Percival, who proved to be a longtime friend and a stalwart in her long battle for justice.
Through cleaning, Collins met Dorothy Bennett, who first came to the Territory from Sydney in 1954 through to 1960 on annual orthopaedic surveys in Arnhem land and adjoining islands. Her employer, orthopaedic surgeon , Dr Stuart Scougall, was a keen art collector. At the request of the NSW Art Gallery, Mrs Bennett collected art from centres visited during the surveys. Qantas also asked her to collect for them .
In 1972 Ms Bennett was appointed an art consultant and collector for the Aboriginal Arts Board , later transferring to its selling arm , Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Pty. Limited as consultant and field officer. On her recommendation, Shirley Collins was appointed director of the Darwin branch from which Shirley distributed to art galleries , museums and corporate outlets . Their relationship grew and Collins eventually opened her own business, the Raintree Fine Art Gallery and employed her mentor , Dorothy Bennett .
NEXT : Collins’s involvement in the Bank of America Down Under Tour in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games in which it has been said she became the "scapegoat" for shortcomings which resulted in her financial ruin .
NEXT : Collins’s involvement in the Bank of America Down Under Tour in the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games in which it has been said she became the "scapegoat" for shortcomings which resulted in her financial ruin .
