Vida Brown

Vida Brown, also known by her professional and Aboriginal name Nardaparli, was a renowned painter from the Wreck Bay Aboriginal community. She passed away in June 2025 at the age of 67.

Born in Berry Hospital, Vida was one of thirteen children. On her mother’s side, she was the great-granddaughter of Rosie Burragalong-Davis and Mickey Johnson, known as “King Mickey and Queen Rosie of the Illawarra”. Rosie was a member of the Gweagal people, while her father’s family hailed from the Wallaga Lake community, connecting her to the Yuin clans of the South Coast.

She grew up in Wreck Bay, an experience she described as “Moana in paradise,” spending her childhood swimming and foraging for seafood. She attended the Wreck Bay Mission Primary School and later Nowra High School and the University of Sydney, where she studied health science and Aboriginal economic development.

She began painting seriously in the 1990s. Her art was deeply spiritual and connected to her “saltwater Dreamtime stories” and ancestral roots. She often felt “the old people guiding her painting” and found it difficult to stop until a piece was complete. Her works are treasured pieces of South Coast Aboriginal art. Her most famous painting, “Booderee Stingrays” (or “Stingray”), has become an iconic symbol for Booderee National Park.

Vida Brown left behind a powerful artistic and cultural legacy that continues through her family, including her granddaughter, Iesha Nardaparli Brown-McLeod, who is also an artist. Vida was known for her kindness, big heart, and commitment to her culture and community.