sue murray

I REALLY LOVE MY MUSIC
Especially going to see a good live blues band with a few friends and rocking the night away
I can’t do without my music
So I turn it up loud
I feel its rhythm within me, pounding away
While singing out loud to the music I play

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
The inspiration for my portrait comes from the poem footprints in the sand. In the six years since my accident there have been many lows (as well as highs) and I have no doubt that my faith in Jesus has carried me through the low periods. He continues to be the cornerstone of my journey forward in life.
There is however a duality to the portrait insomuch as while I acknowledge and am thankful for the strength I have received in Jesus, I would still like some of those footsteps to be mine.

ACCESS
ACCEPTING
CAREFUL
CONSIDERATE
ENTRANCE
SAFELY
SECURELY
An image of a white feather floating on a blue sky first caught my eye. I like the idea of a feather flying in the air with nothing stopping it. It reminds me that there is a real need in the community for more and better Access for people with disability.
Access means freedom, being free to go wherever you want to go. Like a feather blowing with the wind.

ALTITUDE OF ATTITUDE
ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN’T CHANGE, CHANGE WHAT YOU CAN’T ACCEPT

My reason for choosing to present myself as a human dragon is because a dragon is a loyal, powerful, strong being with a fire burning brightly inside. I also have a raging fire burning inside of me! With a hunger for life and everything it throws at me! I love to laugh and to make others laugh also.

The thing I really dislike is when people look at me with pity in their eyes! I hate it when people “ask how are you?” I tell them that “I’m really good” but minutes later they are asking “but how are you really” and then they are asking my parents “is he really doing okay”
Hence my reason for using the Dragon in this workshop. I don’t want to be pitied or felt sorry for just because I’m in a wheelchair.

Since my accident in 1983, I have learnt to slow down and to smell the flowers and appreciate what is happening in the world around me. I have also been blessed with some great mentors who have helped me become the man I am today! Alex, Neville and most importantly my parents.

I really want to encourage people who have a disability like myself! While we may be limited with our physical abilities, modern technology today enables us to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the world.

HELP
I was a teenager when this Beatles song was released I never realised at the time, these lyrics would relate to my life.

AN OUT-DOOR KIND OF PERSON
When I was young I loved playing in the snow. I loved being in nature, surrounded by trees and feeling the snow come down on my face. When I was younger, I was more mobile, so I was able to get out of the house more easily. I really can’t get outside much now, not nearly as much as I’d like to.
Whenever I go to the snow, to see my sister, I am confined to the in-doors. I feel really bored and sad because I am really an out-door kind of person.