It is now 6 weeks since the day my partner and I drove away from our previous home of 23 years in Gympie. The move has brought us to 2 acres near Maryborough, the town where I was born and educated. Since I am involved with FIDO, the watchdog of K’gari, it makes sense to be closer to the island and as I am also working on a doctorate about a Maryborough person, the late Dr John Sinclair AO, I feel I can pursue more research leads by being closer to the place where FIDO was born. Below is a short introduction for those who don’t know me yet.
Who is Zela?
Susan Zela Bissett (Zela) is an artist, educator and author with a long involvement in environmental education and advocacy. Zela was born on Butchulla Country and has worked as an educator, artist, author, studio potter and consultant.
While teaching on the Aboriginal community of Cherbourg, Zela was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008 with a research grant to investigate using Education for Sustainability (EfS) to engage Indigenous learners. Zela received a Master of Environmental Education degree for this research and was seconded by the Education Department to work on science, sustainability and social justice projects.
In 2019 Zela left Education Queensland to devote herself to her arts practice and doctoral research. Her artworks have been shortlisted for National prizes including the 2023 National Capital Art Prize and are represented in public and private collections. In her visual artwork, Zela combines Art and Science, prioritising use of environmentally sustainable materials including foraged fibres, re-purposed fabrics, kombucha pellicle and salvaged timber to create mixed media works under the motto: Found, formed and foraged. Zela is currently a PhD candidate with Sunshine Coast University. She has contributed to scholarly journals and her work can be read at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3752-6896
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