Dragons tales inked with art and soul

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FEW people drive into Ivanhoe. Fewer still remember it.

Leaving this speck of a bush town to exist, almost exclusively, in those brief seconds it takes to pass through towards somewhere better.

"And maybe it is forgettable,'' shrugs Joel Thompson.

"But for me, the town means everything."

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Joel Thompson shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

And with that, the St George Illawarra enforcer then removes his training singlet, revealing underneath, and spread right across the base of his back, that beautiful landscape motorists see as they drive into his western NSW home all one pub, 200 residents and no internet access.

Joel Thompson shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

"As a kid, my upbringing was fairly tough, unsettled,'' Thompson explains.

"Things happened and, while I won't go into them here, I was shifted throughout the state to places like Wagga, Gundagai, Condobolin and Griffith.

"But driving home into Ivanhoe, I always felt safe. For me, seeing that little sign rising up ahead has always been the best feeling in the world."

And it's because, of those 200 residents, two were grandparents, Albert and Gloria Thompson.

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Joel Thompson shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

A pair of "guardian angels" whose names and images also adorn his skin.

Indeed, this is the underlying beauty of tattoos.

While increasingly more common in the NRL than short skirts on a Saturday night, know that within this swirling blur of Japanese dragons, Polynesian sleeves and who knows how many Southern Crosses, there still exists the unique and revealing stories of proud young men.

Peter Mata'utia shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

And nowhere is this more evident than the Dragons.

A wonderfully illustrated outfit where three of the most heavily inked stars — fullback Josh Dugan, winger Peter Mata'uita and forward Thompson — have sat for hours, outlaid thousands, even bought a chainsaw so their stories can be drawn.

Peter Mata'utia shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

"A gift for my uncle," Mata'utia laughs of the Stihl payment.

"He did my sleeve.

"My first tattoo though, I was 11. A famous Samoan artist was in the area so I had him do a small, tribal band the traditional way.

"They use a sharp stick with serrated teeth. It's dipped in ink, then hit into your skin with another little stick like a hammer.

"That one means a lot as does the name of my mum, Falesoa, tattooed onto my chest because she brought up seven children on her own. I also have stuff for my sisters, my partner ... but I have a long way to go yet."

Peter Mata'utia shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

For Thompson, however, the journey is well underway.

Take, for example, that right arm existing in tribute to his grandmother via her portrait, the picture of nursed baby and a lengthy poem about guidance and love.

Joel Thompson shows off his tattoos. Source: News Corp Australia

On his left side, too, sit tributes to his late grandfather while both legs and chest flow with artwork for family like wife Amy, daughter Bella and another in planning for baby girl Imogen, six months.

"And then, after that, it will be time to finish my back,'' he smiles.

"I'm thinking a sunset over Ivanhoe."

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