NOTE: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following story may contain images and voices of deceased persons.
In 2018 a Carlton laneway was renamed Warrior Woman Lane. The small street (it's located between Nicholson and Station streets, near patisserie French Lettuce) was named in honour of Lisa Bellear, the Minjungbul, Goernpil, Noonuccal, South Sea Islander writer, politician, activist and leader who fought passionately for the Stolen Generations and left an indelible mark on Australia's creative landscape.
Bellear passed away in 2006, but a new installation in Warrior Woman Lane allows new generations to learn and celebrate her life. Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa artist Charlotte Allingham, and Ballardong Noongar writer Timmah Ball have collaborated to create a laneway installation that shares the life and passions of Lisa Bellear.
Throughout November, Melburnians are encouraged to visit Warrior Woman Lane to explore the installation. In addition to a mural and posters, the installation features QR codes that take visitors to a digital Warrior Woman Lane website where they can learn more about Bellear through audio and video.
Lisa Bellear was born in Melbourne and was a prominent member of the community during her life. During her life, Bellear spent 20 years producing and presenting 3CR program Not Another Koori Show, helped found the Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-op (the longest-running Aboriginal theatre company), and wrote and photographed prolifically. Her creative output was matched only by her commitment to community matters; Bellear worked as an academic at University of Melbourne and Victoria University, was a councillor for Collingwood City Council (subsumed into Yarra City Council) and was a member for the Victorian Stolen Generations Taskforce, the Victorian Sorry Day Committee, and Reconciliation Victoria (Bellear herself was a child forcibly taken from her parents under these policies).
The installation can be seen in Warrior Woman Lane, Carlton during November 2020. If you can't visit in person, you can also read more about Bellear's life and work via the Warrior Woman Lane website.