The images from this mother-and-son photo shoot are stunning

Ask Joneisha Manbulloo about her favourite memories of growing up in the Northern Territory and she doesn’t hesitate to answer: “We spent a lot of time hunting and fishing,” she says, “and my grandfather loves horses!”

Joneisha was raised by Gary and Wilma Manbulloo, who took on the role of surrogate grandparents. “Wilma was my grandmother’s cousin and Gary is my grandfather’s little brother, but they raised me as their own,” says Joneisha.

It was Gary’s love of horses that led Joneisha to local photographer Lisa Pilbeam. The young mum had admired some of Lisa’s work online, in particular the maternity photoshoots where she had captured expecting mums in paddocks with horses. She asked Lisa to create some similar memories for her and her two-year-old son, Joeneillius, paying tribute to her childhood with Gary and Wilma.

On her 19th birthday last June, Joneisha and Joeneillius visited Lisa’s property just outside of Katherine, where she captured Joeneillius’s cheeky, radiant smile and Joneisha’s strong spirit along with horses Smokey and Oddsey.

“I enjoyed seeing the interaction between Joneisha and Joeneillius while she was telling him it was okay to trust the horses,” explains Lisa. “They enjoyed a quiet moment with Joeneillius sitting on the horse and giving him a pat.

“During the session, Joneisha took a few minutes to breastfeed her son. She sat on the ground surrounded by the long grass with the sun setting behind her and the horses grazing nearby.”

Joeneillius’s entry into the world was not an easy one. He was breech and, after several attempts to induce labour, Joneisha was rushed into surgery for an emergency caesarean section. After recovering from the birth and settling into her new life with her baby boy, Joneisha returned to Katherine High School to finish her studies and graduated from Year 12 alongside her classmates when Joeneillius was just four months old.

“My aunties looked after Joeneillius while I was at school, and when I couldn’t go to school I would do my schoolwork at home while looking after my son,” explains Joneisha. “I have a lot of help. It’s peaceful and quiet out of town, and we go fishing every weekend.” They also regularly visit Joneisha’s younger sisters Carrissa, 14, and Tamara, 12, who love spending time with their little nephew.

Joneisha is looking to the future. Although she loves living in Nitmiluk, she hasn’t ruled out moving to a larger centre so she can give Joeneillius access to more opportunities as he grows up.