Born in 1950, Barry Charles aka Troughman came out in 1969, discovering his first ‘beat’ the same year. In 1971 Barry joined Campaign Against Moral Persecution (CAMP) and later the Gay Liberation group at University of New South Wales. He marched in the first Sydney Gay Mardi Gras in June 1978 and became active in the campaign for law reform through the Gay Rights Lobby. He was Co-Convenor of the Lobby in the years 1981 to 1984. As part of Sydney World Pride 2023 he is appearing onstage at Darlinghurst Theatre in the show All the Sex I’ve Ever Had.

Jeremy Smith is a graduate of UNSW Art and Design where he studied drawing and painting. His work integrates drawing, painting, etching and animation with mapping conventions and psychology. Jeremy is currently a PhD candidate at UNSW, working on ‘Narrative Cartography’ using cartography techniques to map the LGBTQI community, in particular the changing gay male body since the introduction of the anti-retroviral HIV drug PrEP.

Tobin Saunders is an out gay HIV positive performer, MC, writer, choreographer, peer educator, dancer, health promoter, actor, DJ, events coordinator, activist and producer. He is the creator of one of Australia’s most colourful and entertaining drag/gender illusionist identities, Vanessa Wagner. For over thirty years, Tobin has been involved in performance, TV, film, fashion and dance including Mardi Gras and other queer festivals and events. He produced, choreographed, hosted and performed at legendary “Jamie & Vanessa” events in Sydney. Tobin now works solo with the Vanessa Wagner character and freelances as a performer/activist/educator.

Raveena is a writer, photographer and creative director. She has had her words and visual work published in and exhibited for Sweatshop Women, SBS Voices, TimeOut Sydney, Kill Your Darlings, The Giant Dwarf, Folk Magazine, State Library of NSW, The Big Issue and Veer East, and curated and performed as part of Red Dot Revolt and Sydney Fringe Festival. She shares her work on @studioraveena.

Raveena is a member of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and StoryCasters. Her art focuses on creating and exploring the beauty, strength and realities of experiences of people of colour as a queer Punjabi woman.

Damien is a queer Palawa man (from southeast Tasmania) who has worked in state libraries for the last 10 years, including roles in Western Australia and New South Wales. He previously coordinated the State Library of Western Australia’s ‘Storylines Project’ and has worked with Aboriginal artists, traditional owners and researchers all over Australia.

Varuna Naicker is a Fijian-Indian writer from Penrith, immigrating to Australia when her parents moved from Fiji in 1999. Varuna has deep interest in how social institutions form people's perception of themselves and the perception of the world around them reflected in her works in theater and creative writing. Varuna has written for SBS Voices, Storycasters and most recently completed a Artslab residency with Shopfront Arts.

On her relationship to the Arts and Cultural Exchange building and to Parramatta: Parramatta is a place where people like me aren’t the minority. Seeing so many different kinds of people, being able to explore my creative feelings in a safe space such as ACE makes Parramatta the place where I feel most at ease and comfortable with myself, even though I don’t live there.

TextaQueen is a multi-genre artist of Goan descent living on unceded Wurundjeri land. Known for using the humble felt-tip marker to create majestic portraiture, their work complicates assumptions around identities at the intersections of gender, race, sexuality, and ability. Their practice envisions an ever-expanding alternate universe of collective and transformative possibility, centring those not often witnessed in states of empowerment.

On their relationship to 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art: It is the site of my Bollywouldn’t show, about reimagining queer & trans South Asians.

Shyamla is an independent Movement Artist/Choreographer, Educator, Writer and Presenter who advocates for cross-cultural experiences and anti-discrimination through the arts. Shyamla works with children, refugees and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and is committed to supporting independent artists and making dance more safe, accessible and inclusive. Shyamla is also the Founding Director of BINDI BOSSES: a matriarchal South Asian Fusion Arts company based in Warrang (Sydney).

On their relationship to Gunnamatta Bay: I was raised on Dharawal Country (so-called Sutherland Shire) and learned to dance at a school that used to be around the corner from where I am now living. I practice my artform Silambam.

I learn Silambam from my Guru Chidambaram R. Suresh from Samarpana Institute of Dance and have been training at his studio on Darug Country since September 2022. Silambam is an ancient Thamizh martial art practiced with a staff and other weapons.

Udaravi Widanapathirana is an Artist Manager at Semaphore New York and a Programming Executive at the inaugural SXSW Sydney.  Udaravi has held various roles at su-ku-ya, Dark Mofo and PIAS/Inertia Music. They were a finalist as an AAM Breakthrough Manager of the Year in 2022 and placed in The Music Network 30 Under 30 2021. Having pursued an Economics degree,  Udaravi is passionate about creating more pathways to artistic financial sustainability. 

On their relationship to their sublet in Elizabeth Bay: I can be present amidst the impermanence.

Kavitha is a trans woman of Sri Lankan Tamil descent from Canberra who grew up in Western Sydney. She works as a community lawyer during the day, but is also an occasional performer by night, enjoying various forms of creative expression, including singing, dancing, and miming.

On their relationship to the Sydney Murugan Temple and Western Sydney: I grew up in Pendle Hill, Toongabbie, Wentworthville and Westmead. These suburbs are home to a large proportion of the Sri Lankan Tamil community in Sydney. Growing up, I struggled to realise and express my queerness and womanhood in such a culturally conservative and close-minded community. However, it was my upbringing in Western Sydney which instilled me with such a rich understanding of my language, culture and heritage. To ensure my safety, I now perform in circles and spaces in Canberra which are worlds apart from the community I grew up in. However, Western Sydney is the birthplace of my connection to culture and my queer survivorship, both of which form the central themes of my art in Canberra.

Born into a family of actors, singers and performers, Arundati has always found herself drawn to storytelling. As an immigrant raised mostly around women, she is drawn to stories of perseverance, female relationships, love and power.

On her relationship to Fitzgerald Park, Homebush: I grew up right up the street from this park. There are so many core memories attached to this place, all at different stages of my life. Each memory reminds me of a new stage in my adolescence and as a marker for my growth during that period of time, which in turn has informed my artistry. Being in that park feels nostalgic and comforting.

Panos Couros is an artist and composer specializing in sound design, music composition with a history of community cultural development. His work has been exhibited across the country, through the performing arts and as public sound installations that immerse the audience in sound, including for the Sydney Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; and the World Science Festival in Brisbane. He has collaborated with many communities, individuals and organisations, producing a diverse portfolio. He is passionate about creativity, promoting self determination and bringing people together in celebration of their culture/s.

Robin Eames is a writer, artist, and historian living on Gadigal land. They are currently working on a PhD in History at the University of Sydney, examining trans history, madness, and carceral interactions in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia.

Louise has published and lectured widely on the Library’s collections, and has worked closely with the acquisition, processing and curation of the manuscript and pictures collections over many years. She is the author of Natural Curiosity. Unseen art of the First Fleet (NewSouth Publishing, 2014), an analysis of the traditions of natural history art production in Australia and Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries.  

I’m Arielle, I’m 10 years old. I love the arts, fashion, cooking, reading, dancing and gymnastics. I like to cook all sorts of things, especially cakes and different kinds of dumplings. I love to read fantasy and humorous books, sometimes even all in one book!

My favourite things are animals, my family, the environment and most importantly- food!

I am small and quirky but I’m also funny and fun!

My name is Atticus. I am 10 years old. I live in Sydney. I can do strange things like hyper-extending my elbows. I don’t do the typical sports like soccer and basketball - I do speed skating at Canterbury ice rink. I have a weird hobby in Monopoly of trading my $100 notes into all ones and fives. Many people ask me what my favourite food is, and I simply say I like all foods, I don’t hate any food. I’m good at a lot of Nintendo Switch games like Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Everspace, Mario Kart and Puyo puyo Tetris. I compete with some of my friends in maths for top spot in school.

Bethany Macdonald is a Sydney-based artist, illustrator, author, bookseller and publisher. She works primarily in paper collage, using traditional cut and paste techniques and painting to create her vibrant textured illustrations.

Originally from Moree in central north-western NSW, Ronald trained as a schoolteacher before beginning work as Indigenous Services Librarian at the State Library of New South Wales in 1991. Ronald is a keen family historian and has also worked with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

Bruce Whatley has been writing and illustrating children's picture books since 1992. He continues to experiment with illustration techniques and look for new ways to express his visual narratives. He has written and illustrated more than 90 picture books.

Christina Huynh is an illustrator and muralist based in Western Sydney. In 2018 she illustrated her first picture book Grandma's Treasured Shoes by Coral Vass.

My name is Daniel, I am nearly eleven years old. I like playing popular video games like Minecraft and Roblox but I also like some of the more difficult and uncommon games, too.

I enjoy reading all sorts of books and at the moment I am particularly interested in books about physics. I recently began making a comic, it is a fun hobby.

I am a curious person who likes to learn more about how things work.

Hi, I’m Daphne, I am eleven years old and in Year Five. I have two siblings and two cats. I love reading, my favourite series is Throne of Glass, I’m reading Throne of Glass for the third time now, but I also enjoyed The Hunger Games and Power of Five.

Something I adore is looking at art and making art. I like to draw the most, I don’t care if it is with paper and pen or on an iPad. Mostly, I draw faces from my imagination.

My name is Donald. I am 9 and enjoy playing games such as Minecraft, Zelda, Breath of the Wild and Terraria. I love drawing and I have a pet bunny.

With a background in Australian history and Museum Studies, Elise has worked with the Library’s maps, pictures and manuscript collections; acquiring, writing and promoting these to a variety of audiences. In 2009 she received a staff fellowship to research and scope the Library’s First World War collections. This led to curating several exhibitions highlighting the Library’s nationally significant First World War collections; Life Interrupted: personal diaries from World War I in 2014 and Colour in Darkness: images from the First World War in 2016. She is currently working on a final World War I exhibition examining children’s experiences during the war, planned for early 2019.

My name is Georgia, I am ten years old. I love to play the cello and am part of the school orchestra. There are five cellos in our orchestra and it is fun to play together. My favourite piece of music to play is Orpheus in the Underworld because it explains the story of Orpheus throughout the piece.

I enjoy reading Harry Potter and other fantasy stories. Mathematics is a fun activity for me, I really like doing division and multiplication.  I like to spend my spare time with my family, friends and my dog, Louie.

Hello, I am a 10-year-old boy who was born here in Australia. My mum and dad were both born in Japan.  I enjoy building with LEGO and leaning to play the viola, treble recorder and piano.  I also like doing things by myself at home, such as drawings and origami.

As the Director of the State Library of NSW Foundation, Susan seeks critical private sector support for the mission of the Library.

Susan has in-depth experience in the cultural sector from her past roles of Head of the Museum of Sydney (MOS) and Deputy Director in the Historic Houses Trust (now Sydney Living Museums).

Melissa is of Bundjalung descent with family links to the Baryulgil area near Grafton. Born in Crown Street Women’s Hospital she has spent her whole life in Sydney. Melissa worked in various government departments, including Department of Housing and Attorney General's Department before starting work at the State Library of New South Wales in 1991. One of two Indigenous Services Librarians, she has a background in teaching and obtained her librarianship qualifications from University of Technology Sydney. Melissa is a past  President of ATSILIRN, the national body representing Indigenous library workers.

Hello, I am Keira, an 11-year-old girl obsessed with Rick Riordan, baking, bubble tea, animals and zodiac horoscopes. I have loved reading and art ever since I could start making art and well...reading. My old school was Meriden, but I transferred here after completing the OC/ test. I am planning to do selective and scholarship next year, and I am planning to make it to either James Ruse or go back to my old school.

Andrew Lewis is the lead scientist in Geoscience Australia’s geomagnetism program and has several decades of experience in monitoring and modelling the geomagnetic field in the Australian and Antarctic region. He has BSc (Hons) and MSc degrees in geophysics and is secretary of the International Real-time Magnetic Observatory Network.

Matt Cosgrove is an artist, author and illustrator of children books, based in Sydney. He has written and illustrated more than 25 books including the Macca the Alpaca series.

Maxine Beneba Clarke is a widely published Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent. In 2016 she published her first children's picture book The Patchwork Bike illustrated by Van T. Rudd. Her other picture books include Fashionista and When We Say Black Lives Matter.

May Gibbs MBE was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her Gumnut Babies, and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

Dr Joy McCann is an Australian environmental and cultural historian with a PhD in History from the Australian National University. Her research interests include the natural and cultural histories of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. Her book Wild Sea: A History of the Southern Ocean was published by NewSouth Books in 2018. She is currently writing a history of Australians and Antarctica for the National Library of Australia, an environmental history of Antarctica’s sea ice, and co-authoring a book on law and the world’s oceans, seas and shorelines.

W: joymccann.blog

With a research background in nineteenth century Australian art and culture, Richard has curated numerous exhibitions and published widely on colonial art and society. He has also been extensively involved in the acquisition, arrangement, description and promotion of the Library’s renowned Australian research collections.

For more than thirty-five years Pamela Allen's picture books have enchanted generations of children around the world. She has written and illustrated 52 children's books.

Maggie Patton is the Manager, Research & Discovery at the Library. She is responsible for leading the curatorial team in the delivery of projects that develop, interpret, and promote discovery and engagement with the significant and unique State Library collections. Maggie has specialist expertise in rare books and maps. 

Since joining the Library Maggie has held several positions in reference and information services, collection management, online curation and digitisation projects, using emerging technologies to connect researchers with heritage collections. 

Phil Lesnie is a Sydney-based illustrator of children's books. His preliminary work is digital, however he works primarily in watercolour, because in a watercolour painting even mistakes look lovely!

Margot has curated numerous exhibitions and displays for the Library and contributes expertise across a variety of collection functions including research, acquisition and interpretation. She is a cultural historian with a special interest in popular culture, photography and dress and has written and lectured extensively about the Library's collections.

With a background in archaeology, Richard Shing oversees the work of The Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta (VKS), a statutory body that is mandated to  preserve, protect and develop important aspects of Vanuatu’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

VKS plays a major role in the recording and documentation of cultural and historical events and oral traditions, the collection of valuable oral traditions and traditional knowledge and artefacts, the surveying of cultural and historical sites and the discovery of significant archaeological sites.

Josiane Teamotuaitau is a Tahitian historian, writer and teacher. Her book Fa’ati’a mai ia Tai’arapu! Grandeur et declin des Teva i tai was published in 2016. She is the current Vice-President of the Société des Études Océaniennes (Oceania Studies Society) and President of Fa’afaite, Tahiti Voyaging Society

Hello. I’m Thanh, ten years old, terrible at sports. I’m quite good at spelling (if I do say so myself) and I love sitting down with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. I am obsessed with creative writing, chatting online with my friends, and candles (for some weird reason: I think I inherited that from my mum). A good game of Monopoly or Minecraft always cheers me up, and my favourite book series - hmm, I have a lot to choose from, so there are multiple - would be Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and Wings of Fire.

Jack Thatcher is a master navigator of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Porou and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti descent. For over 30 years, Jack has sailed more than 65,000 km of the Pacific Ocean, using traditional vessels and voyaging knowledge. He was a key stakeholder in the Tuia 250 Voyage which circumnavigated Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 2019. Jack works as a teacher and community leader, bringing traditional Māori knowledge to the public.

Tina Matthews is a New Zealand born author, artist, designer, and puppet maker who lives and works in Sydney. Her books include Out of the Egg, Waiting for Later and A Great Cake.

With a background in history and museum and heritage studies, Alice has worked with the Library’s extensive map collection, acquiring material, researching and writing about it.

Ursula Dubosarsky is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has written over 60 books and was the Australian Children’s Laureate, for 2020-2021.

Chet Van Duzer is a widely published historian who specialises in historic maps, with an emphasis on determining the sources that cartographers used for the texts, images, and geographical features in their works. One part of his work has been recovering information from damaged maps using multispectral imaging. He was the 2012 Kislak Fellow at the Library of Congress and is a Board Member of the Lazarus Project at the University of Rochester, which provides low-cost access to multispectral imaging to institutions and researchers around the world. Chet’s book Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps was published by the British Library in 2013.

Hi I’m Yevin! I am eleven years old and I love art and music. I’m not the sportiest person but taking walks and riding my bike through the greenway is something I like to do. Something strange about me is that I own 12 pet fish and I can play seven instruments. A strange thing that I like to do is putting all the books on my shelf in rainbow order by the colour of the spine on the book. Sometimes I like to look up into the sky and just wonder what could be beyond the clouds. I can’t say I have a favourite food because I love all foods, except for asparagus. Some other hobbies I have are sewing, knitting, drawing, cooking and reading.