# Susan Betts

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**Susan 'Susie' Betts** is a [First Nations](/source/Indigenous_Australians) artist, illustrator and cultural advisor. She has ancestral connections to [Wirangu](/source/Wirangu_people), [Kokata](/source/Western_Desert_language) and [Mirning](/source/Mirning) country, community and language groups on the far West coast of [South Australia](/source/South_Australia).

## Career

Betts' artworks created whilst employed at [Balarinji Design Studio](/source/Balarinji_Design_Studio) include the Nalanji Dreaming design[1] covering a [Qantas](/source/Qantas) jet in 1995.[2][3] She developed the Sweet Water design for an oversized [Coca-Cola](/source/Coca-Cola) bottle displayed at the [1996 Olympics](/source/1996_Summer_Olympics) and now in Atlanta Museum.[4]

She designed a cultural football guernsey for the [Adelaide Crows](/source/Adelaide_Football_Club) worn during 2016 for the [Australian Rules Football](/source/Australian_rules_football) [Indigenous round](/source/Sir_Doug_Nicholls_Round) at the request of her nephew [Eddie Betts](/source/Eddie_Betts).[5][6][7]

Betts has undertaken international research through a [Churchill Fellowship](/source/Winston_Churchill_Memorial_Trusts) in 2018 exploring the Seven Sisters ([Pleiades](/source/Pleiades)) constellation and creation stories ([Tjukurpa](/source/Tjukurpa)) across Indigenous cultures in Australia and overseas. As a part of this fellowship she was able to visit the [Elliston](/source/Elliston,_South_Australia) and [Streaky Bay](/source/Streaky_Bay,_South_Australia) areas which had been taboo to her people for many years; this was possible after a ceremony acknowledging the [Waterloo Bay massacre](/source/Waterloo_Bay_massacre) and what had been lost.[8]

Betts said of this:[8]

We want to make this connection back on country because for thousands of years our people have been coming here, our ancestors and doing ceremony.

— Susan Betts, *8 October 2020*, ABC Eyre Peninsula

As of 2024, Betts is a Board member of [Country Arts SA](/source/Country_Arts_SA) and part of their First Nations Advisory Committee.[9] She was also a Judge in the 2024 South Australian Literary Awards in the Children's Literature Award section.[10]

## Selected works

**Children's books**

- *Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk* (2021) by Susan Betts and [Mandy Foot](/source/Mandy_Foot)[11]
- *Lullabies for Bed Time* (2017) by Susan Betts, [Phil Cummings](/source/Phil_Cummings), [Mike Dumbleton](/source/Mike_Dumbleton), [Katrina Germein](/source/Katrina_Germein) and Louise Pike[12]
- *It's Bed Time* (2009) by [Katrina Germein](/source/Katrina_Germein), [Phil Cummings](/source/Phil_Cummings), Susan Betts and Tania Cox[13]

## Awards

- The [Gladys Elphick awards](/source/Gladys_Elphick#Awards,_honours_and_legacy) - Quiet Achiever award in 2016.[14]
- [Churchill Trust Fellowship](/source/Winston_Churchill_Memorial_Trusts) in 2018.[15]
- Shortlisted in 2022 for [The Wilderness Society](/source/The_Wilderness_Society_(Australia)) Karajia Award for Children’s Literature for her picture book *Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk,* written and illustrated by Susan Betts with co-illustrator [Mandy Foot](/source/Mandy_Foot).[16][17]

## References

1. Regional Development Australia collaborations (2016-10-25). ["Wiyana Spirit"](https://www.rdaep.org.au/wiyana-spirit/). *Regional Development Australia Eyre Peninsula*. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

1. National Museum of Australia, Acton Peninsula. ["National Museum of Australia - Balarinji art and design collection"](https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/balarinji). *www.nma.gov.au*. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

1. Qantas (3 July 2024). ["Flying Art Series"](https://www.qantas.com/au/en/about-us/our-company/fleet/flying-art.html)

1. Lange, Jacques (1997). ["Coke art, folk art: The Coca-cola salute to folk art"](https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA10201497_79). *Sabinet African Journals*

1. ["Adelaide Crows unveil new Indigenous jumper"](https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/adelaide-crows-unveil-new-indigenous-jumper/yybf7wjcc). *NITV*. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

1. ["Crows to don Indigenous jumper"](https://www.afc.com.au/news/114269/crows-to-don-indigenous-jumper). *afc.com.au*. 2016-05-22. Retrieved 2024-02-26.

1. Homfray, Reece (25 May 2016). ["Eddie's Pride."](https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bwh&AN=9X9ADVNEWSMMGLSTRY000153925337&site=eds-live&scope=site). *Advertiser, the (Adelaide)*. – via Ebsco.

1. ["Seven Sisters stars creation story reconnecting people to their country after clifftop massacre taboo lifted"](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/wirangu-seven-sisters-songline-indigenous-healing-reconciliation/12380698). *[ABC Eyre Peninsula](/source/ABC_Eyre_Peninsula)*. 2020-10-07. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

1. ["Our People"](https://www.countryarts.org.au/about/our-people/). *Country Arts*. Retrieved 2024-07-03.

1. ["2024 South Australian Literary Awards"](https://stories.slsa.sa.gov.au/south-australian-literary-awards/). *stories.slsa.sa.gov.au*. Retrieved 2025-03-07.

1. Austlit. ["Warna-Manda Baby Earth Walk | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories"](https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/23073857). *www.austlit.edu.au*. Retrieved 2024-07-03.

1. Austlit. ["Lullabies for Bed Time | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories"](https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/14740006). *www.austlit.edu.au*. Retrieved 2024-07-03.

1. ["It's bed time / illustrations by Katharine Lahn ; music by Mike Steer ; words by Phil Cummings,... - Catalogue | National Library of Australia"](https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/7283541). *catalogue.nla.gov.au*. Retrieved 2024-07-03.

1. ["Award Categories"](https://www.gladyselphickawards.com/categories). *Gladys Elphick Awards*. Retrieved 2024-06-18.

1. ["Susan Betts - Churchill Trust"](https://www.churchilltrust.com.au/fellow/susan-betts-sa-2018). *www.churchilltrust.com.au*. Retrieved 2024-02-26.

1. Austlit. ["Susan Betts | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories"](https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/14739962). *www.austlit.edu.au*. Retrieved 2024-06-11.

1. Mem: 7752768. ["Wilderness Society announces Environment Award shortlists, new Karajia Award | Books+Publishing"](https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2022/07/08/217118/wilderness-society-announced-environment-award-shortlists-new-karajia-award/). Retrieved 2024-06-24.

## External links

- [Susan Betts on Austlit](https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/page/14739962)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Susan Betts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Betts) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Betts?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.