Rick Roser

.......A little blue caravan, a 37 Oldsmobile, 3 adults, 5 kids and various pets.

There were a lot of working people living on the land then, in a semi wild state. 50's, 60's, 70's We would work on farms, often as a family for a week or a season.

Us kids would have gone to so many schools in a year, to the point where, as the oldest, I would go to the Headmaster enrol us and tell him Mum and Dad were working at wherever. 

And that was OK in the 60's outback. 

We embraced our Aboriginality and loved travelling as "professional nomads". Could get up and go at the drop of a hat. 

We kids long ago chose to stand with our indigenous ancestors and we still do.

And I was one of those kids always interested and willing to learn and I'm so glad I did. 

Later, after a disastrous caravan fire we moved to Brisbane. In the city, and with such wild 5 kids as us, my parents did it tough and gradually they began to drift apart, my father became more involved and active in Aboriginal issues and my mother in active Feminism. 

Both were published in books and journals.

I learned printing and began publishing leaflets and booklets and posters. 

It was intense, and fantastic and exhilarating but youth and naiveté and downright stupidity saw my life and relationships crumble...a lot

Easily swept up in the politics of the time, Land Rights, Feminism, Anti Nuclear, Right to March etc. Communists, Anarchists... 

Late 60's 70's,80's, walking with giants back then. 

Too many gone too soon, pursued to an early grave, if not killed outright.

I really do not know how I made it through.

In my late 30's I ended up alone making artefacts on the side of the road, painting them with ochre and selling them wherever I could. I have to admit that I was still as happy as Larry and totally unaware I was homeless. Clueless. Anyway...

Everything had to be made from the bush. Collected as I went and then I'd set up in a Rest Area or camping place way out there. (in a '67 Landrover which  broke down everywhere I went anyway...axle..radiator...you name it  :)   

There, usually while fixing my car, I would make artefacts like stone tools, shields, coolamons,  flatten bark for paintings and paint them with ochre...no need to clean up much, the off cuts and ochre just blended back into the bush.

And plenty of times they were sold there too... to passing tourists, nearby butcher shops, service stations (always good) ...anywhere. 

Anyway, I often saw shapes in branches and logs in the campfire light, and dragged them out of the bush and managed to make them stand upright around the fire, little ones, big ones. 

Lucky for me they were pretty good...and after a bit of work, a few of them ended up as sculptures, I called them Dreamtime Travellers and when I had a good collection together, the Landrover would break down all the way to Sydney and I would sell to Aboriginal art shops and galleries down there.  

I think I'd die out there now!! . Looking back, times were extraordinarily tough.

A School approached me to do a workshop on artefact making ... and a local gallery bought, then sold a few sculptures....one to the National Gallery...and so on.

With 2 sticks and a handful of grass, I could make fire for tourists...and sell them some fire sticks.

Later I opened major festivals as the fire maker and travelled with the most wonderful, best Aboriginal artists in the world. The best times and a great responsibility. 

Many decades later I still present Aboriginal workshops at Schools, Colleges and Universities.

It gave me the opportunity to travel, to see some of European/Asian human history, put a lot of this convoluted picture together. 

From the Great Wall to Hadrians, and many points in between. 

To the wonderful people I have met ... Thank you.

2025

 Still going...

PS. I loved that Landrover.

to...
2025.....

Kata Tjuta, Uluru, Troy, Angkor Wat

Workshops

Silver work!!!

2020's

Role in a Commonwealth Games Show "Sandsong" (Walbira Murray and Elena Vereker)

Toured Japan with "Sandsong"

Toured China with "Sandsong"

Installations for Bleach Festival...Really Cool

Still opening and closing the Woodford Folk Festival after 28 years!!!

Presenting workshops at WFF

Firemaking Peformances for BLEACH FESTIVAL Launch

BCC workshops

GCCC Workshops

Bris Wetlands Workshops

International ZOOM Performances

2014

Bundaberg Multicultural Festival
TourBurri Burri!! with QAC .
TARA Festival & CAmel Races
Woodford Folk Festival Closing/Fire Making Ceremony >>>>>2010
Grad. Certificate Art & Education
Diploma Vis. Arts TAFE
Cert 4 W/Place Assess & Training TAFE
QUT Faculty Health - Website Art
Release CD -Rom Aboriginal Resources Kit
Multimedia Artist/Producer
Nth W. Comm Health Centre Public Art Mentor/ lead Artist
B.C.C. Art Built in Musgrave Park Public Art Mentor/ lead Artist
B.C.C. Art Built in Keperra Public Art Mentor/ lead Artist
Com. Ombudsman Digital Art Designer
Red Cross Digital Art Designer
Toowoomba City Council Public Art Sandstone tinted concrete
Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival England Performance Fire making
Llandudnow Music Festival Wales Performance
Shanghai Oceanarium Painting
Mountains to Mangroves Festival Ed Workshops
Accreditation Qld Ed Dept Ed Workshops in Qld Schools
Multicultural Music Festival Firemaking Performance
City Farm/B.C.C. Public Art Sandstone fondue
Q.L.D. Maritime Museum Collection Bark (Canoe)
Centenary of Federation Festival Gold Coast Performance Fire & didgeridoo
Cent. of Federation Festival New Farm Park Performance Fire Making Ceremony
Release of 3 videos - The Aboriginal Art of String Making
The Aboriginal Art of Fire Making
The Aboriginal Art of Ochre Painting
Accreditation P 12…..to work in Qld. Schools
Griffith University Logan Campus (Public Art) Sculpture
Hillbrook College (Artist in residence/commission) Sculpture
Tribal 2000 Festival Lombardia Italy. Performance W/shops/ Fire Ceremony
Valley Fiesta 2000 Performance Fire & Ochre Painting
Gold Coast Indigenous Arts Festival Performance Fire & Didgeridoo
Woodford Folk Festival 2000>2004 Performance Closing/Fire Ceremony
Craigslea High (Artist in residence/commission) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs
Teaching at TAFE
Lecturer at BOVACAIA, Qld College of Art

20th. Century

1999
Sth Bank Inst. Of TAFE (Lect.)
B.C.C. Biota St. Project (Urban Renewal/Public Art.) Sculpture
Yagubi Cultural Festival (Public Art) Painting
B.C.C. Gold Program. (per) W/shops
Waroo Shire Council (Surat Family History) (Public Art) Sculpture
B.C.C. Citizenship Ceremony (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
B.C.C. Christmas Tree Ceremony (Per) (Smoking Ceremony)
3rd. A.P.T.. Q.L.D. Art. Gallery (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Woodford Folk Festival (per) (Fire making Ceremony)
Shalom College Bundaberg (Artist in residence/commission) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1998 :
Matilda Outback Centre Installation (Public Art) Painting
Aust. Heritage Comm. Art of Place (Touring ex) Painting
Nat. Indeginous Art Award (Tour.ex ) Painting
Out of the Box Festival (per) Workshops
Dar River Festival (per) Sculpture
Yugambeh Museum Gold Coast (Public Art) Painting
Yugambeh Museum Gold Coast (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Cyber Dreaming Ipswich (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Griffith Artworks Re/Form (Tour.ex) Painting
Chill-Out Festival (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Brisbane River Festival (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Griffith University Logan Campus (Public Art) Sculpture
Q.L.D. Art Gallery (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Bris. City Council (per) (Fire making)
Canberra Festival (per) (Fire making Per)
Maryborough Housing Co-Op (per) (Smoking ceremony)
Murri Independent School (Public Art) Sculpture
Chill-Out Festival (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Woodford Folk Festival (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
2nd A.P.T. Q.L.D. Art Gallery (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
B.C.C. Sorry Day (per) (Smoking Ceremony)
Woodford Folk Festival (Public art) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1997
Shifting Sights Pinnacles Gallery T/ville (Public Art) Sculpture
Installation River Mill Gold Caost (acq) Painting
Ochres Fire Works Gallery Bris. (ex) Painting
Q.L.D. college of Art (Lecturer)
MAIWA Qld. P.A.C. Bris. (per) Workshops
QLD Tourist & Travel Commission (acq) Painting
Boondall Wetlands (Public Art) Painting
Woodford Folk Festival (Public art) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1996 :
Totems Coo-ee Sydney (ex) Sculpture
Saltwater Freshwater Borewater (ex) Painting
Q.L.D Art Gallery. (collaboration with Campfire Group) (acq) Painting
Woodford Folk Festival (Commission/acq) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1995 :
Queensland Art Gallery (acq) Sculpture
Woodford Folk Festival (Public art) Sculpture
Bobby Mcleod. Doonooch healing place. Nowra --Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1994 :
National Gallery of Australia (Flash Pictures Tour.ex.) Sculpture
Woodford Folk Festival (Public art) Sculpture
Touring Schools Programs

1993 :
Plenty of campfires Fire Works Gallery Bris. (ex) Painting
Warlgurgabah (Magnetic Is.) (ex) Artefacts
Woodford Folk Festival Official shirt design Painting
Maleny Folk Festival Maleny Educational Workshops
Touring Schools Programs

1992 :
Savode Gallery (ex) Sculpture
Rockhampton Dreamtime Centre (acq) Artefacts
Archie Roach & Ruby Hunter (acq) Painting
Maleny Folk Festival Maleny Educational Workshops
Touring Schools Programs

1991 :
Aust National Gallery Canberra (acq) Sculpture
Crosscurrents Coo-ee Gallery Sydney (ex) Sculpture
Ancestors Brisbane (ex) Sculpture
Maleny Folk Festival Maleny Educational Workshops
Touring Schools Programs

1990 :
Aboriginal Sculpture Review Sydney (ex) Sculpture
Bond Collection (acq) Sculpture
Q.L.D Art Gallery (ex) W/shops
Maleny Folk Festival Maleny Educational Workshops
Touring Schools Programs

1989:
Kamarga Aboriginal Arts Brisbane (ex) Sculpture/Bark painting
Uni. Of Q.L.D. Anthropology Museum (per/acq) W/shops/Stone tools
Maleny Folk Festival Maleny Educational Workshops

3 months School W/shop program for Schools Education W/shops

1988:
Kalkadoon Tribal Centre Mt. Isa. (acq) Stone Tools
Tranby College Sydney (per/acq) W/shops/artefacts
Pacific Arts Festival Townsville (per) W/shops
Q.L.D. Museum (per) Sculpture w/shops
3 months School W/shop program for S/ East Queensland Schools Education W/shops

1987: Rockhampton Dreamtime Cultural Centre Public Art Ochre Stencil Art

Artefact maker