William Brian 'Badger' Bates is a carver, sculptor, printmaker and educator born in Wilcannia NSW in 1947 of a Scots father and an Aboriginal mother. A finalist in the Inaugural NSW Indigenous Art Prize in 2005, he has exhibited extensively in Sydney and regional NSW and his work can be found in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Bates works in a variety of media including wood, stone, lino, metal and found objects. The themes in his work include anthropological, archaeological and political references within the framework of his deep attachment to the Darling River.