With his long wild white hair and beard, Billy Stockman has been etched in my memory as a small Aboriginal Santa Clause. When I first saw him walk into the gallery, I noticed his hair had a strange red/ orange tone to it and asked my father if he had dyed it. He laughed. It was the red earth that had blown through his hair on the long drive from “out bush” that had coloured it. The next day Billy returned to the gallery to paint, his hair was snow white.

When Billy came into Alice Springs he stayed at a camp along the Todd River off the Stuart Highway. A huge number 5 on a corrugated wall marked the spot but you wouldn't find Billy in the government built structure provided, you’d have to walk down into the dry river bed near a big gum tree. There you’d find Billy with a burning camp fire nearby.

My sister and I would often drive to the camp to see him and pick up completed works. He would ask us to take him to the supermarket to do “big” shopping or down to “Piggy Wigglies” store to get a kangaroo tail. On one occasion he explained that his Kungka (wife) had a cut on her leg and that he needed to to get some cream. He kept saying “blue one, blue one”. His eyes scoured the medicine shelves and finally he picked up a tub of “Vics Vapor Rub”. I still cringe at the thought of rubbing vics into an open wound but Billy insisted that it was good for everything.

I’ve always loved Billy’s work and I don't think he has received the recognition he deserves. Billy Stockman played a pivotal role in the initial stages of the central desert art movement and helped pave the way for many artists today.