Maureen Beeron

Maureen Beeron is a Girramay woman of the Murray River area. She is based in the Jumbun Aboriginal Community, North-west of Cardwell.

Maureen is a master weaver of Wungarr eel traps, Jawun baskets and is skilled in traditional Bark String making. Maureen is also a painter who expresses her knowledge and cultural experiences through her artwork. The traditional baskets and other objects she makes are a common theme in her paintings.

When creating Jawun, Maureen collects the lawyer cane from the rainforest, removes the spiky outer ‘skin’ of the cane and prepares it from splitting by passing it through the fire. It is then finely woven into the bi-cornual shape. Some of her notable past works include a large and extra large Jawun made for carrying babies. A similar process is used to create Wungarr. These weaving skills have been passed on to Maureen by her cousin-sister. Since 2004, Maureen’s eel traps have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions both regionally and Nationally. Her eel traps have also been acquired by private collectors within Australia.