Born in 1927, Kamilaroi artist Jim Stanley’s family moved from the Terry Hie Hie Reserve to Top Camp in the mission, east of Moree. After six years of schooling, Stanley worked as a shearer, drover and gardener, and later on the railways. 

In 1985, on his way to Mungindi to deliver Christmas presents, a speeding car pulled out of a side track causing Stanley to roll his car – a tragic and life-changing accident. Initially dependent on an iron lung, he was later confined for life to a wheelchair, with nearly no use of his hands, which forever remained clenched as they had been as he gripped the steering wheel. 

As he lay in Moree Hospital, looking out to the Mehi River, Stanley decided to paint. Dedicated to his practice for the rest of his life, he depicted scenes from his memory of life in the mission. With intricate attention to detail, he recorded views of Top Camp, activities such as fishing, cooking and dancing, and various ceremonies.

With acrylic paint, pencil, pen and sometimes gold leaf, he bordered his artworks with dots or geometric motifs – suns, stars, crosses and more – arranged symmetrically and mapped out in pencil before painting. He also used text in many of his images to label elements of the works.

Jim Stanley passed away in 2016 at St George. A respected elder and prolific artist, he left behind a valuable legacy of paintings.