Jeffery Finlay

Jeffery Finlay

Jeffery Finlay was a vibrant young man living and working as a traditional dancer and didgeridoo player with the Kuku Yalanji people in Mossman Gorge, Far North Queensland.

In 1992, Jeffery had a serious accident that left him with quadriplegia. He was transferred to the Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane where he spent more than 12 months rehabilitating. It was during his rehabilitation that he was asked if he would like to try mouth painting.

Jeffery decided to give it a go and his first painting was of two Indigenous warriors fighting. Jeffery soon developed a passion for mouth art and his new-found abilities. He has had two public exhibitions, with the latest being 'My Expressions' at the Tank Art Gallery, Cairns. Jeffery also designed the awards for the local Cairns Regional Council’s 2008 Disability Action Week Awards.

It is Jeffery's ambition to show people with disabilities that you can still enjoy life and do things that you thought you may never be able to do. He inspires many people with and without disabilities with his art. Jeffery once said, "Once I was a traditional dancer. Now I am a person with a disability, I dance through my paintings."

By Ian Chill, family friend