Suzanne Thompson biography

Suzanne Thompson was born and raised in Barcaldine, Queensland.

Her custodial connection to Country is continuous and carries on the work of her father, the late David Thompson and great-grandparents, King Billy and Polly of Bonnie Doon and Lourne, all of which had traditional links to the lands of the Kunngeri and Iningai peoples. Her great-grandparents and grandparents lived on and owned a small property on the fringes of Barcaldine at a time when the rest of Indigenous Australia was classified under the Flora and Fauna Act. The family has retained this property to the present day. Suzanne also performs as a traditional dancer and conducts traditional cleansing ceremonies for dignitaries, national media and tourists to her cultural homelands.

Suzanne returned to Country after two decades of working within government agencies and private business enterprises. She worked in the areas of youth and policy development, community development and Brisbane City Council as an Indigenous business adviser for Blak Business Smart Business. Suzanne owned and managed a successful gallery on the Sunshine Coast, while at the same time being a regular stall holder at Eumundi Markets where she offered a range of unique hand-crafted products that told stories of her ancestral knowledge and practices.

Since returning home to Barcaldine, Suzanne opened a private gallery, teamed up with landowners of the district as a committee member of Desert Uplands and is currently working in partnership with Robyn Adams the owner of a grazing property called Stratford. Together they are developing an exciting and immersive tourism experience called Yambangku Stratford, which embraces the positive relationships and knowledge of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous contributions to the region. This very experience was captured on camera and presented as part of the 2015 Our Stories Our Way 'Yambuka with Suzanne' and presented on NITV in July 2015 as part of The Production Line by Bacon Factory Productions.

Suzanne also works closely with her family and other members of her community to develop regional enterprise and employment opportunities and is currently compiling research and local knowledge that will contribute to developing a broader understanding of:

• bushfoods and medicine resource to share with tourists, visitors and locals
• Iningai language research and local history collections to be included in a new range of tourism products along with ensuring that future generations will continue to bring back the Iningai.