Wayne Quilliam

Wayne Quilliam is an experienced and highly respected freelance photographer with a particular interest in Australian Indigenous culture. Wayne is one of the few Indigenous artists who have had work exhibited at the Kyoto Gallery in Japan. He is also featured at the permanent Bayagul exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, and has won numerous awards in international photographic competitions.

Wayne bought his first camera in Hong Kong while he was a 17 year old Navy communications officer, but didn't get serious about photography until he was 21.

While working as a chimney sweeper, Wayne was drawn to a wall of photographs in a customer's house. The photos were taken by the woman's late father, who had left behind lots of darkroom equipment that no one was using.

Wayne was so fascinated by the whole thing that he did a deal with his customer and took the photographic equipment as payment for sweeping the chimney!

Soon after, Wayne became serious about photography. "I set up my bathroom as a darkroom and that's where it all took off," says Wayne.

In 2004, Wayne visited communities in the Jawoyn region, east of Katherine in the Northern Territory of Australia to photograph The Foundation's work.

Since 1999, The Fred Hollows Foundation has been working in partnership with communities and Indigenous organisations in the Jawoyn region, establishing and running integrated programs aimed at improving community members' health, life chances and choices.

The photographs from Wayne's visit capture the depth and beauty of Indigenous culture while documenting the breadth of The Foundation's work in Australia.  

The Foundation thanks Wayne for the great photos he has taken for us!

Futher Information

To see more of Wayne's photos and others in our collection, visit our photo library