Judy Walker

The beaches, forests and community have all contributed to my idea of 'A Sense of Place'.

The blue green foliage and pale yellow flowers of the hop wattle, the wonderful colours and shapes of the washed up seaweed on the beach found during a walk, our dominating landscape feature here in Whitemark, Mt Strezleki, and the beautiful and fragile Nautilus shell that washes up on the west coast of Flinders Island in April and May each year in small quantities. Every so often we have a huge harvest and its so exciting to pick them up yourself. They range in size from 2 cm to 20cm and are so delicate. There is a squid inside the shell and like all squid they squirt black ink. These are the females of the species and the theory is that they come into the shallow waters to spawn. When a storm comes in they get washed up on the beach. You have to be quick to beat the seabirds.

Judy Walker was taught to crochet by her grandmother when she was a child and her work has progressed through fine cotton doylies and edgings, baby and children's clothing, long colourful skirts in the 70s, granny rugs and lately, crazy hats and scarves.
She has always exhibited at local agricultural shows, local craft exhibitions and the Wind Festival in 2000, and recently entered a teacosy in a NSW country town competition. Judy has always been interested in all kinds of craft and needlework, with patchwork her main passion at present. She has lived on Flinders Island for forty-three years and considers herself a "real Islander". The beaches, forests and community have all contributed to her idea of 'A Sense of Place'.