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.”

Blog posts

View all

'Magpie Goose: Stories You Wear' exhibition has opened - And there are a lot of people to thank!

Nov 22, 2025

Reflections on the Opening of Magpie Goose: Stories You Wear and the many people we need to thank.

It's Black Friday Every Week: Because Our Prices Are Already Honest

Nov 14, 2025

You won’t see any flashing discounts or countdown clocks here, because at Magpie Goose, we have Black Friday every week. Our prices are already as fair and as low as we can make them. We work hard ...

Artists

Acknowledging Artists on Every Garment

Oct 28, 2025

Every new Magpie Goose garment features the artist’s name and artwork title on its care label, honouring Aboriginal Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and celebrating the stories behind the ...