Walawaani Way is the first 100% natural conservation burial ground in Australia, founded by Fiona McCuaig. Located in Bodalla, on the South Coast of NSW, Walawaani Way was established to give people the choice of simple burial back into the soil, surrounded by a forest of trees & native vegetation - a gift back to the planet that sustained their lives. It will always be protected and can be visited by generations in the years to come, offering a beautiful restful landscape in which to remember.
'We give an option to people to bury their loved ones back into the soil, just like we have done for 99% of human existence. It’s how it’s meant to be - providing both nutrients for the soil for future life and habitat for wildlife. It just seems so right!' Fiona McCuaig
Michele Elliot is a visual artist, educator and occasional writer, living and working on Wodi Wodi Country. Her practice spans textiles, sculpture, installation and drawing. Her artworks are material explorations in relation to human connectivity, mapping and memory. She has been exhibiting across Australia for over three decades, as well as in India and Singapore.
Michele brings many years of teaching experience in drawing, textiles and sculpture to her workshops in the Illawarra, in regional NSW and interstate. Michele works with community and has been facilitating Tender Funeral’s Sewing Circle as part of their After Care program for seven years. She has assisted families to create rituals and remembrances for their deceased persons. Michele offers 'shroud making workshops : a day of cloth and conversation' on a regular basis, locally and interstate.
Michele has been the recipient of state and federal funding for several projects and residencies. In 2022, she was awarded an arts project grant from the Australia Council for the Arts to research, develop and present new work at the Wollongong Art Gallery. Her exhibition - what is held, is here - ran from June - August 2024. You can read the Gallery's Q&A with Michele here.
Her artwork is held in collections at Artbank, Wollongong Art Gallery, University of New South Wales Library, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Cruthers Collection of Women’s Art, the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, UWA and in private collections.
