Eddie James

My name’s Eddie, but my nickname is ‘All of a sudden’. All of sudden, he just turns up! It just went from there.

I come from the Bardi tribe - the People around Ardyaloon. My mum is from Pannawonica - near Karratha. I’ve still got family down there, so I go visit them sometimes. I was born in Broome, and did Primary School there, then moved up the coast to Beagle Bay in 1972, then further up to One Arm Point (Ardyaloon) to be with dad’s family. Ardyaloon is North West of Broome, 220km, maybe more. It’s a small community, between Lombadina and Cape Leveque.

We live in a place that’s hard to leave - it’s good living out here by the water, fishing and what-not, camping.

I used to do a lot of work - various jobs. Landscaper, labourer, machine operator, all sorts, for One Arm Point Aboriginal Corporation. I’m just starting art now; I picked up a canvas one day and started painting! I like to paint - lots of things that come into my mind: turtles, dugong, landscape, birds. Turtles are one of the main food source for the Bardi people - I paint them a lot.

I live with my partner Annette. We have three grown up sons, and 10 grandchildren. Some live in One Arm point, one in Djarindjin, one in Kununurra, one in Perth.

Read print stories

“My name’s Eddie, but my nickname is ‘All of a sudden’. All of sudden, he just turns up! It just went from there.”

Big Tee - Manboor (Ghostcrab)

$149.00

Pencil Skirt - Joodarn (Crayfish) Manboor (Ghostcrab) & The Moon

$189.00

Jersey Skivvy - Manboor (Ghost Crab)

$189.00

Blog posts

View all

Flagship Store

Closing a Chapter with Gratitude

Jul 23, 2026

After three incredible years in our beautiful King Street home, we've made the difficult decision to close the doors to our Magpie Goose flagship store.

Quandamooka collection

We Made a Mistake - but was it a Happy Accident?

Jun 11, 2026

Sometimes mistakes turn into something beautiful. When producing Woven in History by Kyra Mancktelow, we accidentally ordered our old quantity of fabric — around 500 metres. The result? More garmen...

Awards

We're in the running for a NIFA Award

Jun 6, 2026

Finalists again! 🎉 Magpie Goose x Quandamooka Artists are honoured to be named finalists in the 2026 National Indigenous Fashion Awards for the Community Collaboration Award, celebrating strong par...