Tracks Home - Wild Flowers by Celina Lloyd
- Artist: Celina Lloyd
- Title: Tracks Home - Wild Flowers
- Size: 90cm x 64cm
- Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
- Region: Mullewa, WA. Broome, WA
TRACKS HOME
At Tardun Mission, some days, Nan would find herself in trouble for incidents like laughing or running late to class, normal things kids do. When she would get into trouble, she was often punished or beaten.
One particular incident occurred when Nan was around 8 or 9 years old, when she got into trouble and was punished by being forbidden to go to the cinema. She soon discovered that other girls had also been punished and made plans with them to run away while the others were gone. Nan was both excited and nervous about the adventure because she had hoped to see family but risked being caught by the missionaries.
When everyone had gone, Nan and the other girls stuck to their escape plan and left quietly from the dormitories. They snuck through the shrubs and past the first dirt road track; went around the quandong tree and ended up on another dirt road track. They walked along the track, but in the distance they saw car lights approaching; it was the bus. They panicked and ran as fast as they could and found themselves in an off-limits area, the boys' area. Suddenly, they all tripped and fell into a fence. After the fall, Nan's leg felt painful and stung. She looked down and saw it bleeding; she still has the scar today. Nan rested on the ground in pain and hid from the bus; she did not want to get caught.
When the bus drove past, they ran down the field, crossed another dirt road and reached a bush track. The girls followed the bush track and survived on seasonal bush foods like mushrooms and gum; this was enough to stop their hunger. They travelled through the day and night with very little rest.
The girls got excited when they stumbled upon the train track; they knew that if they followed it, it would lead them home to Mullewa. They placed their heads on the train track to listen and feel the vibrations of which way the train was coming from. This helped them decide which way they would go. They agreed to walk along the left side of the train track until they reached Mullewa. They later found out that they had gone the wrong way. Nan was weak, tired, and dehydrated and didn't want to move anymore. She found a tree and lay down under it, trying to regain her energy. This break wasn't for long, as the other girls were anxious and wanted to keep moving, and Nan didn't want to be left behind. After hours of walking, they arrived at a highway and saw a farm and smoke in the distance. They decided they would head towards it.
The girls were hungry and thirsty and started to give up. Nan felt numb, like she would almost die. They took shortcuts through farms and found a little shrubby tree and sat for a while. The girls then saw a white ute drive towards them in the distance and waved the driver down. It was an old white man, and they asked him for a ride. The old man helped the girls and dropped them off at the river near Mullewa.
Nan and the girls walked from the river to their families. Their families hid the children away but knew that soon they were going to be caught by welfare. The girls were home for a couple of days before they were found, and taken away again, marched back to Mullewa train station, putting them on the train back to the mission.
As they got closer, they saw the bus waiting for them. When they returned to Tardun they had to walk down a long dirt road straight to the mission dormitories. The other mission kids laughed, yelled and teased them because they had been caught.
Nan was locked in a dormitory room for hours with two other girls who escaped with her. She could hear Margaret Mary, one of the nuns, say, "You aren't going to be laughing soon'. She unlocked the door and entered the room with another nun. They locked the door behind them, grabbed each girl and held them down, pulled their dresses up and whipped them with a big bamboo cane. The cane stung, leaving Nan with a burning sensation. They had lashes from the top of their backsides that went down to their legs. The Nuns left the room and returned with a pair of scissors, they sat the girls down on the chairs and cut off their hair. Nan could hardly walk, she couldn't sit, and her legs were very swollen and red that she could feel the heat coming off them for days.
This was only one of the many times Nan tried to run away from Tardun Mission.
Celina Lloyd
Celina Lloyd is an emerging contemporary Aboriginal artist whose practice explores memory, resilience, healing and intergenerational storytelling. Drawing inspiration from the lived experiences and stories shared by her grandmother, Faye Parriman, Celina’s work reflects on the enduring impacts of the Stolen Generations while honouring the strength, survival and cultural continuity carried through family and Country.
Celina is known for her solo exhibition Nan’s Everlasting Memories at Aboriginal Bush Traders, where she presented delicate etchings on handmade paper alongside acrylic works on paper and canvas. The exhibition visually interpreted stories shared by her grandmother about growing up as a member of the Stolen Generations after being removed from family and taken to Tardun Mission in Western Australia. Through symbolic imagery, layered textures and references to memory and Country, Celina’s works explored themes of identity, loss, resilience and healing.
Her handmade paper dress works became a significant visual element within the exhibition, symbolising the rare occasions mission girls were allowed to wear dresses and shoes during official government visits. These deeply personal works reflected both the hardship of mission life and the emotional weight carried through family memory.
Coming from a strong family lineage of artists, storytellers and cultural educators, Celina’s artistic practice is shaped by both her desert wildflower and saltwater Country connections. Her grandfather, Kevin Parriman, is a respected Jabirr Jabirr/Ngumbarl and Yawuru cultural educator and carver from the West Kimberley, while her mother, Natasha Lloyd, is an award-winning contemporary Aboriginal artist. Alongside her sisters Jessica Lloyd and Leticia Lloyd, Celina continues a strong intergenerational artistic practice grounded in storytelling, cultural knowledge and lived experiences on Country.
In Beyond Everlastings, Celina contributes works that continue her family dialogue across generations. Her artworks honour stories passed down through family while also expressing her own reflections on memory, identity and cultural connection. Through contemporary Aboriginal art practice, she continues to preserve and share stories of Country, survival and intergenerational strength for future generations.