Rosie Goodjie Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1935 -

Rosie Goodjie (bush name Kuji) was born about 1935 near Nyirla, at Kulyayi waterhole, near Well 39 on the Canning Stock Route. She moved with other family members north along the Canning Stock Route towards the white settlements of the Kimberley cattle station country. Rosie Goodjie moved first to Bililuna station where she milked the nanny goats, working for rations. Later she moved to Christmas Creek station.

Rosie Goodjie says of her early life: “When I left my home lands, came north on the Canning Stock Route to Bililuna, Old Balgo. Catholic Mission there. Most Wangkajunka people travelled that way, when they left the desert to go towards white settlement. No mother, no father when Rosie go that way. No family now. Work at Bililuna. Look after nanny goat, milk ‘em every morning. Work for ration. Take ‘em to river, cook ‘em. Follow river all the way down, to Christmas Creek. Before kids. Working at station with Elsie Thomas and Nada Rawlins. Been learn English right there.”
In the 1980s Wangkatjungka Community was established on land excised from the station. From 1994 to 1998 senior desert Aboriginal artists began recording their stories at Karrayili adult education service. When the Karrayili annex closed in 1998, a number of senior people continued to paint, and Rosie Goodjie was amongst those artists. Rosie paints the country where she grew up with her family before they were separated from their country and moved to Christmas Creek Station. Rosie Goodjie lives at Wangkatjungka and sometimes camps at the homeland of Ngaranjadu. In 2002 Rosie Goodjie appeared in the film Rabbit Proof Fence.