Wiradjuri artist Brandi Salmon's monthly snail mail club, Aunty's Dispatch, has grown into a community of more than 500 subscribers across Australia and overseas.
Created as a way to share art, stories and Blak history, the club has become particularly meaningful for Mob living away from Country, with many subscribers sharing that the letters help them feel connected to community and culture.
The project also includes a pay-it-forward initiative, allowing supporters to purchase letters for First Nations people, with proceeds donated to First Nations charities.
In the era of AI-generated slop and digital fatigue, Salmon is helping hundreds of people slow down.
With Aunty's Dispatch now reaching more than 500 subscribers, people across Australia and overseas signing up to receive art, stories, Blak history and personal reflections delivered straight to their letterbox.
Launched in November 2025, Aunty's Dispatch was inspired by Salmon's desire to create something tangible, thoughtful and human.
Seven months later, the Hobart-based artist is spending more than $1,000 a month on stamps and packing hundreds of envelopes from her dining room table.
Each envelope, hand-packed in Lutruwita/Tasmania, contains an original art print, stories from her creative practice, and often a Blak History Spotlight designed to share stories, achievements and moments from Aboriginal history that may not be widely known.
"It's like receiving a yarn from your aunty and a cuppa," she said.
"A slow, thoughtful moment that arrives right in your letterbox wherever you are in the world."
The response has exceeded anything she expected.
"The biggest surprise has been the amount of people who've replied to my letters or sent letters back. I really wasn't expecting it," she said.
"I get messages all the time from subscribers who connected with something I've written."
While many subscribers are First Nations people, the majority are allies wanting to learn more about Aboriginal culture in an accessible and engaging way.
"It was important to me that the club was ally-friendly because I love to educate people," she said.
"A lot of Australians don't know any Blakfullas in 'real' life, so this is a way that they can educate themselves whilst also getting to know me and see that we are all individuals with different experiences."
"I'd like to think the dispatch is challenging stereotypes that have long been placed upon us."
The club has also become an unexpected source of connection for Mob living away from Country.
"I've had messages from pen pals who told me they were raised off-Country and that receiving the letters has helped them feel connected to other Mob. I've especially heard that from Mob living overseas," she said.
Alongside the monthly subscription, Aunty's Dispatch includes a pay-it-forward initiative, allowing supporters to purchase letters for other First Nations people.
Proceeds from the initiative are donated to First Nations charities, making the initiative a simple way to give back and bring a bit of community support straight to people's doors.
"You don't need to be struggling to deserve one of these letters," Brandi says.
"I created Aunty's Dispatch first and foremost for Mob."
The 500-subscriber milestone comes as Salmon prepares to release a special one-off NAIDOC Week edition, featuring educational content about the history of NAIDOC alongside original artwork and collectible extras.
For Brandi, the success of Aunty's Dispatch has been life-changing both creatively and financially.
"The nature of selling art is so up and down. This needed to work," she said
"I've made more in seven months from the mail club than I have from selling prints through my online store over the past four years."
Having grown up off-Country and disconnected from her Aboriginal family and Culture, Salmon says Aunty's Dispatch has become a way of creating the type of connection she once wished she had herself.
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