Northern Rivers' own top model designs Aboriginal tea box
PROUD Indigenous model Samantha Harris has created a pack design for the new Twinings Morning Tea inspired by her Aboriginal heritage growing up on the North Coast.
The Priceline ambassador's pack design will be seen on supermarkets shelves across the country alongside designs created for charity by The Project's Carrie Bickmore and Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman.
Ms Harris, a Tweed River High School alumni who is now Sydney-based, said her blue and yellow patterned design was Aboriginal art-inspired and was created with the help of her mother Myrna Sussye.
"I had a bit of help from my mum to design the packaging," Ms Harris told The Northern Star.
"My mother is Aboriginal, and Aboriginal art can be quite tricky - there can be stories behind all the symbols and I wanted something without too much-story telling but to reflect my childhood of growing up, going to the beach."
The former Banora Point resident with nearby beaches such as Greenmount in Qld, Kingscliff, Cabarita, Hastings and Byron Bay in NSW, said her Aboriginal influence came to her from her mother while living on the Tweed and through her participation at NAIDOC balls.
"My aunties told my mother stories, such as don't do this or stay away from certain areas because of their beliefs."
Ms Harris, 26, chose the Make a Wish Foundation to receive 10c from each of her Twinning pack's sales because she recently helped a sick child realise her dream through the charity.
"I love the foundation and everything they do, I just thought it was a good match," Ms Harris said.
"On average they make 500 wishes come true and if my pack wins and my pack remains on the shelf a donation of 10c per pack sold will happened over the next four years.
"It would make so many more dreams come true."
Ms Harris said her most recent modelling job was for the Myer autumn-winter catalogue and she looked forward to the trend of velvet, in particular in colours of burgundy and red for the cooler season ahead.
Make-A-Wish Australia was founded in 1985, and now, in their 30th year, they've granted over 8,000 wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.
