Daisy Walton
Daisy donates artwork to QDN for our newest Yarning Circle Peer Support Group, in Longreach (Inningai)
The QDN Longreach Gidgee Yarning Circle is QDN’s newest Yarning Circle Peer Support Group and is co-convened by Breanna and Daisy. This group is being held on the fourth Tuesday of each month, at Central Queensland Indigenous Development’s (CQID) The Red Shed (The Shed), located on 39 Duck Street, Longreach.
Daisy Walton, a proud Kunja/Mithaka woman, has generously donated her art piece to QDN to be used as a design for the Longreach Gidgee Yarning Circle. Daisy describes the piece as a “representation of the group”. Daisy visually described the work stating that there is “a [circular] representation of meeting place [in the centre of the painting], surrounded by [colourful] shapes resembling the letter ‘U’ that represent men and women sitting”. There are 5 paths that extend out from the circle, “with footprints on each, walking towards the meeting place, which represent people coming into the meeting place.”
The Shed is a place Karen (Daisy’s support worker) said she took Daisy, before becoming a QDN member, “to build her community” specifically connected to Daisy’s Kunja/Mithaka heritage.
Karen, who has worked at Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID) at The Shed for several years, introduced Daisy to Aunty Joyce, a proud Wangkangurru/Yarluyandi woman from Birdsville. Karen recalled that “after sitting with Aunty Joyce, talking about country and her past relatives,” both Daisy and Karen “wanted to get something happening that brings more community members together, to talk and connect over these things”.
In May 2025, Daisy and Karen and Aunt Joyce met QDN General Manager, Steve Coulter, at a Julian’s Key event in Longreach. They said, “This [dream] and getting involved with QDN was quite synchronised, which was so amazing, as it has all happened from there.”
Steve reflected on the words of Aunty Joyce from their meeting in May this year, who stated, “we can do this.” And they did.
From that point QDN now has 15 members in the Longreach surrounding area, Steve says there is nothing stopping QDN in the Longreach area now, as well as targeting further regional communities in Queensland.
Steve indicated how the story behind the startup of QDN’s Gidgee Longreach Yarning Circle “… is a wonderful example that shows the power of sitting down and having a conversation.” Steve further called out that “…change that is made by the people who lead those conversations.”