Born Shirley Mayo in the 1950s in Mt Isa, Queensland. Collins’ father was Alf Mayo, a Pitta Pitta man from western Queensland and his father was German. Collins’ mother, Jean Rankine, is an Aboriginal/English woman. Through research into her heritage, Collins was lead to believe her mother’s familty is of the Eastern Arrente people from the Northern Territory.
Shirley Collins spent her first five years with her parents; when she was five, her mother left the family and Collins and her three siblings were placed into an orphanage in Carramar (Townsville) where, apart from periodic visits to her family and stays with foster families, she stayed until she was fourteen. It was then that she returned to her father to care for him and her siblings. In 1970 she met Wayne Collins and married him a year later and together they had two children, Brenda and Chris. The family, including her father and younger sister travelled across Queensland and the Northern Territory following work at construction sites and mining towns. In 1984 the Collins family bought a home and settled in Townsville.
Following the death of her son Chris in 1992, and having her time divided between three grandchildren, Collins began to focus her time and talents on designing T-shirts and hats, selling these at local Townsville markets. In 2000 she created Yumala Designs (Yum-ala is the Pitta Pitta word for eldest sister). Motivated by the Memento Awards workshop in 2004, Collins began creating decorated fridge magnets in the shape of native Australian animals for the Townsville tourism market. She was the 'Highly Commended Indigenous Artist’ in the 2004 Memento Awards and was a finalist in the 2005 and 2006 Awards.
The cultural stories told to her by her aunts and uncles, along with images of places of significance to her people, were her inspiration for her paintings. After George Dean, an Aboriginal visual artist, provided her with guidance and mentorship Collins began selling her canvas work, even selling one work, Kangaroo Hunt, on eBay. Her enjoyment of the visual arts led Collins to enroll in a number of modules from the Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE in 2005 and 2006. She participated in local art exhibitions including group shows of Indigenous art students at the TAFE College in 2005 and 2006 and exhibitions held at Umbrella Studios in Townsville such as the annual 'New Steps’ and 'Members Exhibition’. She was accredited with a Cert III in Broadcasting TV through Bush TV and Rockhampton TAFE.
In 2007 Collins won a submission with the Townsville City Council to produce a relay baton that best described the merging of the two city councils, Townsville & Thuringowa. In 2008 her work was included in the exhibitions 'Soulful’ and 'Compact Prints’ and she exhibited her painting Hinchinbrooks Mangrove Everglades Dreaming in the exhibition 'Blak Roots’ at Kick Arts in Cairns for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. In the same year she was involved in printmaking workshops with Theo Tremblay and Aarone Meeks at the Umbrella Studio in Townsville. She and seven other Indigenous artists from the workshops continued working in printmaking and produced lino-cuts, mono-prints and screen-prints for the Holiday Inn in Townsville; these were eventually purchased by Indigenous Business Australia.
Collins has grasped hold of her Aboriginal culture, and she states that she paints “to share and to pass on this knowledge to my children and grandchildren. I also create an awareness of Aboriginal culture by delivering painting workshops at schools and by painting my stories through my artwork on souvenirs, artefacts, memento gifts, jewellery and canvases and this sees me going to festivals, culture festivals, special markets and events. I am fully supported by my family and extended families and the local community in Townsville” (pers. comm., April, 2009).
- Writers:
- Allas, Tess
- Date written:
- 2009
- Last updated:
- 2011
