Originally from Brewarrina, Glenn Dennis, is a project manager with the Department of Regional NSW. A proud Ngemba man, he carves emu eggs in his spare time to celebrate and share his Aboriginal culture.

Naturally brittle, the emu eggs have to handled carefully and a steady hand, concentration and patience is a must.

For Mr Dennis this comes naturally.

“I’ve always had art in my background, in my veins,” Mr Dennis said. “My family – they’re painters, musicians, carvers. Firstly, I draw onto the shell the design I want to create, then I use a Stanley knife to take off the outer shell. It is quite brittle, but it’s a lot more robust than you’d think it is.”

For up to five hours, Mr Dennis delicately manoeuvres a knife around the curved dark green surface of an emu eggshell - all in a quest to create stunning pieces of art that pay tribute to his Aboriginal heritage.

“The shell is about three millimetres thick and has varying shades of green to white, which is the last layer. I use a tool to take out a lot of material, and towards the end I use a carving knife to bring out the detail.”

In Mr Dennis' role with the Regional NSW Public Works agency he uses his background as a carpenter to help deliver upgrades and refurbishments to state government buildings – from construction to completion.

Now living in Dubbo with his young family, Mr Dennis' connection to the Western Plains is strong.

“A few of my family members out at Walgett carve emu eggs. A few years ago, I saw one of the eggs that one of my family members had done, and I was amazed and thought ‘I’ll have a crack at that’. It evolved from there,” he said.

“I’ve recently started making traditional clap sticks and boomerangs. Like anything, it’s a learning curve. Each time I do one, I find something different and overcome challenges. It’s just fantastic to share.”

From carvings of possums, turtles, and snakes, to an image of the bridge in Brewarrina, Glenn’s aim is to celebrate and share awareness of Aboriginal culture.

“I’ve got two young boys, aged seven and three, and I just want to show them where their father comes from and a bit of our culture,” he said. “I love talking about my homeland. It’s good to always reminisce on where I’ve grown up and being raised Aboriginal. I hope my boys take away a sense of pride, and that they may be inspired to do something they love.”

“It’s something I’m hoping we can share as they get older, and we can grow from it.”