I am 5th generation of the Bailes family to live in Wombat. My Great, Great grandfather John Bailes moved to the area in the late 1860’s.
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I went to Wombat Public School and later Hennessy College in Young where art was my favourite subject. I began entering local competitions when very young and won the under 18’s section of the Cherry Festival competitive art exhibition at only eight years of age.
When I finished school, I began making latex face masks and set up an on-line business, ‘Sometimes Alice FX’. A grant from the Harden Education Fund allowed me to undertake a distance education course in advanced special effects make-up through the Dick Smith Make-up Academy in America.
I was involved in several small budget movie shoots where I worked as a special effects make-up artist and prop maker. I was very lucky to meet and work with veteran Australian actor, Roger Ward (Mad Max, The Irishman).
In 2016 I was nominated for the Australian Young Achievers award. My nomination highlighted my community work with the Wombat Progress Association, my fundraising movie night for Motor Neuron Disease, and my volunteer work with young people, through Catholic Care. I was a finalist in the NSW/ACT area and received an award at a dinner in Sydney in April that year.
I have run several make-up, art, short film and photography workshops with young people in Wombat, Harden, Young, Boorowa and Quandialla.
I am often asked why I don’t move to Canberra, Melbourne or Sydney where there would be more opportunities, but I feel that living in the Hilltops region is not something that is prohibitive to my work. Having an online business brings the world to me. I am grateful that living in the Hilltops region has brought me a lot of support from the community, which has allowed me the opportunity to run workshops, hold exhibitions and promote my art While travel is inspirational and exciting, the Hilltops is where I want to be.