• Judith Nangala Crispin lives near Braidwood on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country, and the Southern Tablelands landscape is not merely where she works — it is woven into the fabric of her practice. She is a poet, photographer, conservationist and volunteer firefighter whose creative life refuses easy categories.
  In 2025, she published The Dingo’s Noctuary — six and a half years in the making, across 37 crossings of the central Australian desert, often alone on a motorcycle with her dingo, Moon. It is a verse novel, a photographic work, and a meditation on belonging and identity — one of the most extraordinary and ambitious Australian books published in a generation. The work won the Blake Prize, has been shortlisted and awarded both nationally and internationally, and images from it now sit in a time capsule on the surface of the moon.
  That Judith completed this work at all is a testament to something beyond talent. Following a serious motorcycle accident that caused a brain injury and required four years of rehabilitation, she finished the second half of the book on a 1966 typewriter, unable to look at a screen. Hers is a practice of creative excellence in its fullest sense — uncompromising, deeply rooted in place, and in honest conversation with the landscapes, communities and questions that matter most.
  STA is honoured to be hosting an exhibition of Judith’s work at Connect@Gunning Station later this August.

Treasurer Joanne McCauley reported a sound financial position, underpinned by a year of energetic programming and artistic partnerships.

Motions were passed to accept the Financial Statements and Annual Report, which detailed a strong and successful year of positive community outcomes across STA.

A highlight of the meeting was a live performance by local musician Olivia Pearl, who performed a sneak peek of tracks from her upcoming debut album. Her soaring voice and richly evocative lyrics were a real treat.

The event concluded with the election of the new board for the next twelve months. With the new Board in place, Southern Tablelands Arts will continue to lead with passion, creativity and a commitment to building an inclusive cultural landscape.