DR SASI VICTOIRE

Dr Sasi Victoire - Academic/Creative Writer
Dr Sasi Victoire arrived in Australia in 1970, propelled by a quest to further her education. Little did she know that this period of her life would develop her personal choices away from safe, familiar paths and direct her to an exciting path of self discovery through visual art. While developing her PhD thesis, she discovered a passion for writing and worked to combine visual images with text.

As a child, growing up in Malaysia, oral narratives were part of everyday life. Sasi spend most afternoons trading massages for stories with her maternal grandmother. While the other grown ups were resting, she looked forward to her special time immersed in the land of legends and fables of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Now, a recent grandmother herself, she is aware, with the death of her grandmother, of the need to record our intangible heritage for future generations.

Now settled in Cairns, Sasi has noticed the demolition of many Queenslander homes that lined the streets in the inner city of Cairns, to increasing development. She is aware that Cairns is at risk of loosing its local character that defines this much-loved city apart from any other place in Australia. While her love for Queenslander homes has driven her to devote much time and energy to renovating and preserving many Queenslander homes, this time Sasi has turned to writing and illustrating to preserve the intangible heritage of this area.

Developed with the assistance of the Q150 and a Regional Art Development Funding grant, her children's books, Moving House and Crokee's Country, explore and celebrate Cairns as a Sense of Place. They emerge against the fascinating tropical backdrop of familiar, yet unique spaces she now calls her home.

The books reflect belonging and embracing life in North Queensland. Moving House is a book about a Queenslander home that is saved in the village of Stratford. Crockee's Country is inspired by the many crocodile narratives exchanged at the old Barron River bridge where she now walks her dogs. These daily walks reveal much damage to the Barron River Catchment area through many leisure activities and development. In Crokee's Country Sasi highlights the need for protective custodianship of waterways and valuing the environment.
Sasi has diverse interests. As educator she specializes in visual arts and is a teacher of students with disabilities.

Dr Sasi Victoire also gives art workshops and works as a curator, managing art projects that she believes strongly about. Her interest in women's empowerment has developed her skills in public speaking in conferences and seminars. As writer she also contributes to many international and national art journals.