Sean Bundjalung Delsignore / Waterways of My Country (SB289)

“Our people live in harmony with the land and sea. We believe strongly in our Aboriginal spirituality and that our life cycle evolves and is connected to everything in the universe.”

Known as ‘Bundjalung Sean’, Sean paints the land, people, and sacred sites of his Country on the far north coast of New South Wales, around Cabbage Tree Island. He began painting at the age of 15, inspired by the Dreaming stories shared by his mother, Yvonne. Born on Cabbage Tree Island, Yvonne is a highly respected elder who passed on the language, culture, and laws of their community to Sean.

In addition to his art, Sean is committed to education and land conservation. He received a Diploma in Education (Aboriginal) in 2003 and completed Aboriginal Tour Guide Training with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in 2007.

Sean has combined his passion for art and teaching through community mural projects. At his former school, Ballina High School, he led a mural project with Aboriginal students, creating a topographical depiction of the landscape that highlights a North Creek midden site and the South Ballina massacre site using traditional and contemporary symbols. He also created a mural for Lennox Head Public School, featuring students’ handprints around the border, and worked on a unique project to paint a Port Botany bus with designs by local primary and high school students. Community members added their handprints to complete the artwork. These collaborative projects reflect Sean’s commitment to passing on cultural knowledge and strengthening community connections.

Through his work with NPWS, Sean conducts discovery tours to educate visitors on bush foods, native plants, and local wildlife. He also plays a key role in liaising with local Aboriginal communities and ensuring that Bundjalung culture remains embedded in the land and stories of the National Parks.

Through his art and community work, Sean weaves together knowledge, culture and Country — keeping traditions alive while inspiring future generations.

The river has always been central to our way of life. It provides food, water and materials used in daily living, and it has long been a place of gathering, teaching and trade between neighbouring clans.

By the river, families would cool off from the heat, share stories and pass on cultural knowledge. It remains a powerful, sacred place with deep significance for our identity and survival.

Waterways are woven into our Dreaming and spiritual practices. In my Country, the creeks, rivers and waterholes connect communities across the land, forming pathways of culture and relationship.

For thousands of years our people have been drawn to these waters — not only because they sustain life, but because they hold our history, our stories and our connection to each other and to Country. The river is life-giving, grounding us in who we are and where we come from.