Jacqui Daley
Founder and Managing Director
The Measured Marketer
I’ve worked with Kate within a number of capacities over the past couple of years. Our most recent collaboration has been utilising Kate’s skills as a communications specialist for a messaging project. Kate nailed the brief - presenting brand messaging that was unique to the market - and most importantly, that our client loved.
Kate is a special, sparkly person that approaches her work with passion and enthusiasm. She connects with people quickly and delivers on time.
Rosemarie Milsom
Journalist & Director of the Newcastle Writers Festival
A Wild Abandon is the perfect name for this exhibition – which is Kate’s first. The concept of going into the wild and letting go is an act of rebellion at a time when most of us experience life through our phones - and through other people’s social media posts. Throughout history, women have been discouraged from turning away from society’s expectations – which have traditionally been very limited – and venturing out into the wilderness.
Even now, when many of the world’s wildest places can be reached within a couple of days of intense travel, it is a defiant decision to step away from day-to-day life – the technology, the to-do lists, the deadlines – and just be – among bears, and bison, and towering spruce trees.
Kate has chosen to do this. Last year she spent five months in North America and visited national parks, including Yellowstone, Banff, Mount Rainier and the Cariboo-Chilcotton region in Canada’s British Columbia. Her act of rebellion means that we get a glimpse of this stunning part of the world.
Her photos capture the landscape and the wildlife – there is a stillness, a majesty in her images of the Chilcotton grizzly bears. And while she is right there, in the moment, they don’t feel obtrusive. She has sat and watched – and absorbed the environment.
Excerpt from Rosemarie's beautiful Opening Speech for A Wild Abandon: Awaken the Bear Exhibition (thanks Rosie!)
Brett Connors,
Director & Site Leader
ATO
Kate Carragher: Paddles with wild bears, Swims with whales, Speaks the truth, Stands up to the powerful, Stands up for the powerless
Kate Carragher is: Fearless, Creative, A Warrior, An Adventurer, A Communicator, and a Connector
I met Kate when she walked into my Reinventing the ATO Information centre at work, a whirlpool of energy, full of questions and curiosity, I instantly recognised an authentic, articulate and inquisitive person and we shared stories of reinvention, of travel, and of family.
I soon realised that I had met an intrepid and courageous women, willing to challenge the most powerful people over issues of supporting families dealing with PTSD and loss, willing to swim with the most powerful of animals, willing to paddle next to wild grizzly bears and willing to follow her dreams.
Subsequently, I witnessed her interact with people from all walks and levels of life, I have seen her professional national communication campaigns for the Australian Taxation Office Superannuation Business Line, and I have seen her photos and drawings of wild bears in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia Canada. All of which you cannot take your eyes from.
Kate is a great storyteller in drawings, photos, and words. The global tribe of supporters, encouragers, and advocates cheering her on in this adventure, is a fantastic testimony to her abilities and readies her to make an immediate impact. She will connect with all peoples, animals, and the environment and she will tell their stories with flair, empathy, and with absolute honesty.