Nov 09, 2024

Celebrating Maureen Watson

Today's Doodle celebrates Australian singer, actor, and writer Maureen Watson, who is most remembered for her activism for Aboriginal rights.

This Doodle’s Key Themes

Poetry Social Justice Music

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Colorful illustration of letter G with red lines filled with the colors orange, coral, and blue.

About the Doodle

About Celebrating Maureen Watson

Today’s Google Doodle commemorates the 93rd birthday of Aunty Maureen Watson, a celebrated Australian Aboriginal poet and storyteller, renowned for her lifelong dedication to Indigenous rights.

Making the Doodle

About the Guest Artist

Photograph of Naarm woman wearing a navy blue and beige varsity jacket and a black shirt with short curly black hair sitting in a red chair.

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Naarm-based Lama Lama artist, Rubii Red. Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q&A

1/4

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?

A: The topic was meaningful to me because I wanted to create something that honoured Aunty Maureen Watson and do right by the family.

2/4

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: My first thoughts when approaching the project were "I'm excited to do this," which I was, but also a bit of doubt. Wondering if I could do the doodle of Aunty Maureen justice or not, or if I could really take on such a project.

3/4

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?

A: I drew inspiration from 'smoking ceremonies', the concept of seeing a loved one being remembered in a cloud of smoke has been a visual I've seen in various forms of media and I liked that concept. To me it was a way for people to remember those in their lives, like when Simba is visited by his father, Mufasa, amongst the stars.

4/4

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: The message I'd hope that people could take away from my Doodle is how important our Elders are to our communities.

Our Elders paved the way for us, they hold vital knowledge and information that we need to preserve and pass on to the next generation.

To respect them and honour their name, but also keep them alive within us and within the work we do.

Where this Doodle appeared

The Doodle Celebrating Maureen Watson launched Nov 09, 2024

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Celebrating Maureen Watson

This Doodle’s Key Themes