Gary Ella is a Yuin and Bidjigal man who grew up in La Perouse with eleven siblings. Alongside his twin brothers, Mark and Glen, he was a member of the undefeated 1977/78 'Invincibles' Australian Schools side. The brothers then joined Randwick, where the team won five consecutive premierships from 1978 to 1982. Gary first played for the Wallabies as an amateur rugby union player in 1981 and represented Australia six times between 1982 and 1988. In 1986 he joined the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and worked on health, employment and infrastructure projects in Bourke, NSW. As Program Manager for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Organising Committee, he managed projects that included Aboriginal components, including the torch relay and opening and closing ceremonies. He coached for more than 30 years with Randwick, NSW Waratahs, Leinster (Ireland), Parramatta and the Australian under 19s team. Since 2015 he has been the Community Development Coordinator for Randwick Council.
Penny Tweedie spent a year travelling around Australia in 2000 photographing and interviewing successful young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which resulted in her 2001 book Indigenous Australia: Standing Strong. Tweedie photographed Ella under a water feature at Sydney Olympic Park when he was working for the 2000 Olympics.
Gift of the artist 2004
© Estate of Penny Tweedie
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