“Hands to Nurture, Steps to Progress” is a piece that I created for Queanbeyan District Preschool Association that represents their connection with community, families, educators, and children in a shared journey towards reconciliation.

The handprints signify a "wraparound approach" to nurturing and developing children. This approach encompasses all aspects of a child's growth and well-being using a play-based approach to learning. The ripple effect dispersing outwards from the handprints represents the impact and influence of this approach, spreading positivity and growth to the wider community.

The stepping stones symbolise progress and advancement along the reconciliation journey. Each stone represents one of the nine action areas across reconciliation across three areas - building relationships, respect, and opportunities in the classroom, around the school and within the community.

Lastly, the dots surrounding each stepping stone and along the river represent the children, educators, parents, and the broader community - coming together to progress the reconciliation journey.

Explanation of logo elements:

The river running through the centre is the Queanbeyan river with the circle (head), the two footprints and the hands representing the child and QDPA’s commitment to their growth and development but also the five values of Children, Family, Inclusion, Community  and Service excellence. 

The four footprints represent the four preschools and the paths beside are the children journeying to the preschools where they learn and grow (the two inner circles). 

Lastly, families and communities are depicted by the people icons around the outside.

This artwork, titled "Wings of Unity," serves as a powerful representation of the collective spirit and solidarity within the Gungahlin Jets club. Inspired by Robbie's vision, an eagle is the central feature of the design to symbolise the club's united journey. The eagle, with its intricate details in the wings, body, and tail, becomes a metaphor for the interconnectedness of the club, players, supporters, and the larger community, all uniting as one club and one family.

The wavy lines in the background of the artwork are purposefully incorporated to convey a sense of movement. This movement represents the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the club, highlighting the constant progress, growth, and momentum in its journey.

Additionally, the three distinct footprints featured in the artwork hold significant symbolism. Each footprint represents a vital component of the club – the senior football, junior football, and netball teams. These footprints are not isolated but rather surrounded by an interconnected element, symbolising the loyalty and commitment shared by the club, its players, and supporters. The idea is to emphasise that everyone involved is part of something bigger than themselves, contributing to the shared success and legacy of the club.

"Wings of Unity" captures the essence of a united sports community, where diverse elements come together to soar to greater heights. It illustrates the harmony between the players, supporters, and the broader community, showcasing the strength that lies in unity and common purpose within the club.

“Ripples of Inclusivity” created for the National Convention Centre (NCC), serves as a visual representation of the overarching themes of connection, collaboration, and unity. It not only reflects the business journey of the NCC but also captures the diverse journeys of individuals who visit, connect, and collaborate within the space of the National Convention Centre.

At the core of the painting is the representation of NCC creating a connected and inclusive environment for both its staff and clients to thrive. The use of three layers - footprints, a wavy yellow line of small and larger dots resembling people holding hands, and scattered yellow and green dots - symbolizes the diverse range of clients and the varying lengths of journeys they undertake.

To convey NCC's business journey, the painting draws inspiration from Lake Burley Griffin, featuring a flowing body of water extending from the bottom left to the top right. Within this water body, ripples symbolise how the contribution of one person can have a far-reaching impact. Specifically, 10 ripples represent IHG's Journey of Tomorrow's five focus areas and NCC's five values.

In a nod to the strong connection to Canberra, the background of the painting is inspired by the wondrous colours of the different seasons of the region. This inclusion further anchors the artwork to the local context, creating a holistic representation of the NCC's commitment to connection, collaboration, and inclusivity.

“Pathways of Connection” was inspired by the immersive experiences Thylacine creates using various mediums to connect people, place, and stories in a way that is accessible, fun, and engaging.

The piece depicts intertwining paths around five elements that represent the common mediums Thylacine uses to create an immersive experience including 2D and 3D elements, responsive design, sound, and light.

Weaving around the elements, the footprints represent the stories being told within these immersive experiences with the other path representing people being connected to the stories and experiences. 

Lastly, the background will represent a place with various landscapes depicted using colour and texture. From the oceans, through the forests, mountains, and bush, alongside the rivers to the red dirt of dry areas.

“Ripples of Authenticity” was inspired by Parbery’s strong commitment to a
people-first approach to business that supports people’s growth in a safe,
non-judgmental environment.
At the centre of the artwork Parbery’s commitment to people first is depicted with
people abstractly connected forming a journey. This is to signify that people are
key to Parbery’s journey. The next layer is using two interlocking lines to represent
ongoing commitment to people, values, and purpose.
Taking inspiration from one of the participants comments, the next layer is
inspired by mountains to represent a solid foundation and represents Parbery’s
strong principles of honesty and fairness. It also represents alignment of
community and commercial goals for the greater good with abstract people
representing community and clients.
Extending off the centre element, is the ripple effect representing Parbery’s belief
that opportunities are created by working as a team leading to growth in a holistic
sense. Therefore, interconnecting with the ripples, are opportunities gravitating
towards Parbery.
The colours used throughout the piece represent Parbery’s commitment and
values of creating a caring, nurturing environment that people can grow, develop,
and feel safe to be authentic.

“Footprints of Time” was specifically designed for Hawker Primary School, taking inspiration from its core theme of being a school driven by its community and having a strong connection with parents, students, and staff both past and present.

The lower portion of the artwork, which features three footprints, symbolises the students, teachers, and community. The outdoor learning area, which fosters a sense of togetherness and growth, was another source of inspiration. The ornamental pear trees and stones depicted in varying shades represent the changing colors of the trees throughout the year. The interlocking lines convey an ongoing commitment, while the people icons signify everyone who is and remains connected to the school. Lastly, the top half of the piece represents the four houses of the school - galaxy (blue), pulsar (green), quasar (yellow), and nova (red).

Ultimately, “Footprints of Time” serves as a reminder of the positive impact and strength of a community-driven approach that emphasizes building an enduring connection between all those involved with the school.

"Ripples of Opportunity" is centred around key themes of personal growth, community, and the far-reaching effects of individual decisions. At its heart, the footprints represent Lee's journey, and the choices he has made along the way that create a platform for positive opportunities for generations to come. The ripples either side of Lee’s Journey represent HPG being a people-focused business and the positive impact providing support and communication can have in igniting a chain reaction and fostering a nurturing environment.

The outer bottom ripple symbolises Lee's connection to his country, the Blue Mountains, and the outer top ripple, serves as a reminder of the power we hold in shaping our own journeys through the choices we make. Prompting reflection on the potential for positive change that resides within us all. Together, these elements invite viewers to contemplate the transformative impact of personal agency, community support, and a nurturing environment.

The artwork titled "Collaboratively Uplifting" draws inspiration from Tailored HR Solutions (THRS) and their commitment to a collaborative approach towards uplifting their clients' capabilities. Their focus on facilitating enhanced organisational performance and sustainable outcomes is at the core of the piece, with THRS' logo serving as a foundational element of the artwork.

Surrounding the foundational element, six values are represented by different symbols, each representing a distinct aspect of THRS' work philosophy. These values include Innovation and Creativity (yellow), Collaborative and Agile (green), Act with Integrity (grey), Supportive and Caring (blue), Building Expertise through Continuous Learning (red), and Transparent and Effective Communication (orange).

The next layer of the artwork features two interlocking lines with dots on either side, symbolising the THRS team's dedication to fulfilling their purpose for their clients. Finally, the artwork features ripples, representing the positive impact of sharing knowledge and uplifting capabilities with a warm and empathetic approach to client work.

“Cultivating Connections” was a piece created to represent Rabobank whose purpose, as a global cooperative bank,  is to ‘help our clients feed the world more sustainably’. The piece was inspired by key themes such as ‘growing a better world together’, ‘people-first approach’ and ‘knowledge sharing and networking’ .

With the theme of growing at the heart of the piece,  it features trees’ growth rings and interconnecting roots. The concept resonated with me because trees share water and nutrients through the networks, and also use them to communicate. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behaviour when they receive these messages to strengthen their foundations. I likened this to the work Rabobank does, facilitating the knowledge sharing and networking for a strong industry.

At the heart of the piece, is an element that represents Rabobank and is inspired by the sundial in Rabobanks logo. With people and a heart representing Rabobank is the bank with food at its heart. The four corner elements represent Rabobank’s global growth and sustainability, clients, community and relationships. 

It is hoped that when Cultivating Connections is viewed, that people feel a connection to the Rabobank story and its journey of helping their clients feed the world more sustainably.

This set was commissioned by Marymead CatholicCare Canberra and Goulburn (MCCG) to represent their five values; Care & Compassion, Inclusivity,  Excellence, Integrity and Respect with each design explained below.

“We will act with Care & Compassion in all that we do.” The Care & Compassion piece is represented by two people with interlocked arms.

“We value diversity and actively foster Inclusivity and meaningful participation within community.” The Inclusivity value is represented by three ripples surrounded by people who have been abstractly and diversely represented.

“We have Respect for all people, recognising every person has inherent dignity and worth.” The Respect value piece is an abstract representation of two people taking hold of each other’s forearms as if one was helping the other up.

“We strive for Excellence and aspire to the highest standards of service.” The Excellence value piece is represented by an abstract ‘E’ in the form of a path to the tip of a mountain.

“We will act at all times with Integrity.” The Integrity value has been represented using a hand holding a set of balanced scales.

The artwork titled "Horizons of Defence" captures Safran's experience in defence across all landscapes: subsea, sea, land, air, and space. The central focus of the piece is Safran's expertise in supporting their clients to observe, decide and guide, represented by the three icons in the centre. 

Surrounding this central element, Safran's employees are depicted delivering these products and services guided by the company's key values. These values are represented by nine ripples in colours that match the value. Starting from the centre, they are protection, support/together, strength, passion, teamwork, diversity, resilience, unity, and experience. These values shape Safran's commitment to their Australian clients, emphasising a focus of "for Australians by Australians" and are represented by the final layer of the centre element.

Safran’s work extends across subsea, sea, and sky, and to represent their expertise and capability across these different terrains the hammerhead, whale and eagle are depicted as they represent strength, protection and leadership.

A journey of footprints crosses the artwork diagonally, connecting all landscapes, signifying Safran's continuous journey and its wide-ranging experience in defence. It represents the company's constant growth, progress, and adaptability.

The land is depicted through groups of varying sized interconnected ripples, symbolising the diversity of Safran’s clients and partnerships. Which include collaborations with TAFE and research and development partnerships with Australian universities. These connections highlight Safran's commitment to building strong relationships within the Australian community and comes back to their focus of "for Australians by Australians."

Lastly, the artwork incorporates trees to represent growth and a sunrise, to symbolise new opportunities on the horizon. Transitioning into space, with the stars and the moon to represent the potential and limitless possibilities that Safran explores and pursues.

"Horizons of Defence" serves as a visual representation of Safran’s journey and captures Safran's extensive defence experience across all terrains, its dedication to Australian clients, and its commitment to innovation, collaboration, and growth. 

The artwork titled "Seizing Opportunities" is inspired by my “Moments” artwork based on the William Arthur Ward's quote, "Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them." The artwork celebrates the value of independent education and the role that Independent Schools Australia (ISA) plays in ensuring that young people have access to a diverse range of educational opportunities.

ISA is the peak body that represents the national interests of the independent schools sector. Through collaboration with its eight member associations, ISA promotes choice, diversity, and partnership in education, while advocating for ongoing and sustainable Australian Government support and fair funding. The artwork depicts ISA at the bottom, connecting with its member associations, and the four semi-circles of the sun represent its objectives of collaboration, advocacy, representation, and information.

The vibrant colors of the artwork represent the energy and creativity of the independent schools sector, while the semi-circles of the sun symbolize ISA's commitment to working collaboratively to seize opportunities and build a brighter future for independent education in Australia. Through its work, ISA is helping young people seize the opportunities that come their way, just as the sun rises each day to offer new possibilities.

"Choosing a Journey of Hope" is an artwork created for the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse (Lifehouse) that is inspired by their purpose and core values.

At the centre of the artwork, a hand with the star of hope represents the Lifehouse's patient-centred care and empowerment. It signifies their commitment to improving the quality of life for those affected by cancer. Moving outward, two hands embracing a heart symbolise the nurturing and compassionate support provided by the Lifehouse, reflecting their core value of nurture.

In the top-right corner, the artwork displays the power of collaboration and partnership. The connection of six dots represents key stakeholders in the cancer treatment journey, including patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, volunteers, and the community. The interlinking dots symbolize the collective effort and shared responsibility in advancing cancer care and support.

Towards the bottom-left corner, a lifeline with the growth of new trees represents the Lifehouse's commitment to quality of life and respect. It acknowledges the importance of dignity and embracing diversity in providing comprehensive care. The element of footprints represents the journey of hope that patients and their loved ones embark upon, embodying their strength and determination.

In the background, elements symbolising opportunities for research and discovery highlight the Lifehouse's dedication to inspiring hope and transforming cancer.

Early conversations with the Manteena team highlighted key themes of a family-based culture, connection, diversity of clients and their own organisational reconciliation journey. All these themes were the inspiration for the ‘Building connection’ artwork and its elements.

The three layers in the background are inspired by the colours of the different landscapes which Manteena delivers its projects across. From the green of the Canberra region, where Manteena’s headquarters are based, to across Australia and seas. The smaller circles that connect to the green centre, but expand across the layers, represent the wide reach of Manteena’s clients and projects.

The three symbols in the centre represent the three key areas of a Reconciliation Action Plan - respect, relationships, and opportunities. They are connected to the Canberra headquarters to represent the positive impact of embedding RAP initiatives internally but also across into the next layer to represent the positive external impact.

Lastly, the figures around the edge represent Manteena’s family-based culture including their families, their clients, and the community all of whom contribute to Manteena’s purpose of leading the way in quality construction.

Bupa Medical Visa Services (BMVS) provides immigration health assessments and medical services for customers who temporarily visit and those that migrate to Australia. BMVS in Canberra commenced in July 2022 in a new-purpose built centre that provided the rare opportunity for the staff who all started at the same time, to learn and grow together in a safe place where differences are celebrated.


“Journeys of Opportunity” was commissioned to celebrate the centre’s commitment to its purpose and represents the customer's journey through BMVS. The sunrise colours in the background represent the theme of new beginnings and the blue overlay represents opportunities. At the centre of “Journeys of Opportunity” is the interpretation of BMVS’ passion for welcoming customers from all different backgrounds to Australia and staff’s commitment of delivering their organisational purpose of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. Interconnecting with BMVS’ commitment, are footprints that represent the customer's journeys through BMVS whether that be a temporary visit to Australia or a journey of migration to Australia whilst being made to feel welcome on their journey.

“Reach for the stars (and beyond)” takes inspiration from my Boundless piece which was inspired by Matshona Dhliwayo’s quote “Reach for the stars, not your fears”. I have always challenged myself but it has only been the last couple few years or so that I have stopped being limited by fear. Trusting in myself and my abilities and being ok with uncertainty is helping me to become boundless in whatever endeavours I choose to undertake in my own journey. I hope that the students who participate in the Australian Science Innovations’ (ASI) programs can draw strength from this piece and stretch themselves to reach their highest potential.
The key elements of this piece are the students from the four science disciplines as well as the junior science stream (green figure). The two sets of footprints represent the students’ journey of coming together with other like-minded students at the ASI programs who share the same passion for science. Even though they compete against each other at the Australian Science Olympiads, they support each other and form lifelong relationships that continue long after their ASI journey ends.
The circles and paths that connect to the centre are inspired by the eight planets in the solar system and represent the opportunities to unleash their boundless curiosity for the science disciplines.

“Healing Hands” was specially created for Bungendore Chiropractic, The Family Practice. It represents the unlimited benefits clients can experience from continuous Chiropractic Care. I also drew inspiration from my own personal experience receiving Chiropractic Care during and post pregnancy, which I believe contributed to the positive birthing experience with my daughter, Aurora in late 2022.
At the centre of this piece, you will see two hands, representing Dr Nat, delivering various and customised health benefits to each and every one of her clients, represented by the trees. Just like the roots of a tree deliver nutrients and structure for a tree to grow, the care Dr Nat provides, gives a solid foundation needed for her clients to reach their highest greatest wellness potential – which is then represented by the blossoming branches of the trees.
The pink ripples in the background represent the various and ongoing health benefits received from continuous Chiropractic Care, which grows and continues the more consistent one is with receiving Chiropractic Care.

Capital Region Community Services (CRCS) has a vision of an inclusive, connected community and Inclusive Connections represents their commitment to their vision.

Starting at the left of the artwork, is a circular element that represents CRCS surrounded by their staff, followed by two interlocking lines that represent their commitment to the individuals, families, children, and young people (different coloured people around the outside) that they provide a wide range of programs and services to (different coloured individual dots). It also represents their commitment to the reconciliation journey and working towards their vision for reconciliation.

CRCS currently provides their services in seven locations across the capital region and the paths that journey out from the circular element represent this diverse reach. The opportunities and the positive impact that CRCS provides for the communities they service is subtly captured by the ripple rings that can be seen in the background of the piece.

The key themes of Inclusive Connections are connection, journey and diversity and it is hoped that all who view the piece can feel that inclusion and connection to the CRCS journey.

‘Uplifting Journeys’ represents Visa’s Reflect RAP journey, the people who are supporting this journey and the Visa employees and clients that will be a part of the journey to bring Visa’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) vision to life. The piece also represents Visa’s wider purpose to uplift everyone, everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid.

To represent these journeys, the bottom of the artwork represents Visa beginning their reconciliation journey surrounded by a row of people that represents the organisational culture of ‘One Visa’. This section then connects with the key areas of a RAP - respect, opportunities, relationships, and internal governance. Linking these four key areas and Visa, the footprints at the top represent a future state in Visa’s Reflect RAP journey where RAP commitments have or are in the process of being achieved.

Lastly, surrounding the RAP journey is the representation of the interconnectedness and diversity amongst Visa's people, technology, customers, and geographical locations.

It is my hope that “Uplifting Journeys” creates a feeling of pride and that Visa’s stakeholders feel connected to the journeys of Visa and reconciliation.

The key themes of “Growing Connection” are growth and connection. Growth in terms of future aspirations of continued expansion but also growth as an organisation gained from embarking on the reconciliation journey; and connection in terms of connection with First Nation people but also TTW employees and clients.

Taking inspiration from the shape in the Our History video of the ‘walk through aviary of Taronga Zoo,’ the infinity shape of footprints represents various stakeholders’ ongoing journeys with TTW - be that a client, an employee, or community. The incoming footprints from the corners represent TTW’s new stakeholders that become part of the ongoing journey.

The orange dots that form ripples through the piece, represent the ripple effect of change, that is, TTW’s growth over the years, as well as future growth, and the positive impact that TTW’s reconciliation journey will have, both internally and externally. Lastly, the colours inside each ripple represent my interpretation of the various localities - blue for Sydney, eucalyptus green for Canberra, tropical green for Jakarta, grass green for Melbourne, yellow for Brisbane and orange to represent the future TTW locations.

It is my hope that “Growing Connection” creates feelings of welcome and belonging for all TTW stakeholders.

Torres Strait Islander and Māori Peoples’ knowledge plays in achieving positive outcomes for our people and combining this with the role AMC plays in delivering initiatives to support Closing the Gap in terms of health outcomes. The combining of all these valuable knowledge sources is represented by the four paths coming together in the centre.

In addition, it was important to represent the healing elements of nature that served, prior to colonisation, and still serves Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Māori Peoples. So, surrounding the four paths, which also represents the healing element of the sun, I have included some natural healing elements that resonate with me - water, trees, earth, and fire/smoke.
It is my hope that “Diverse Alignment” generates a feeling of meaningful connection where relationships are strengthened, and diversity of knowledge is respected.

‘A Journey Through Time’ depicts Toll’s journey over the past century. Beginning at the base of the artwork, Albert Toll establishes his horse and cart coal service in 1888.
From there, Albert continued to expand over the next few decades including purchasing the transport company and becoming a national service in the 90s.
Moving into the third quadrant, the artwork captures the 2000s where critical mass was gained and new partnerships established including the continued expansion overseas.
Bringing it all together to create a united Toll, the last segment at the top of the artwork represents Toll being united and continuing its growth journey into the future.
Running parallel to the middle segments and leading to the future represents the change from a horse and cart (at the base of the artwork) to road, air and sea. Lastly, supporting this journey and represented by the varying sized white dots, are Toll’s people.

‘The Toll Values’ set depicts six values of Toll - Safety, Customer, Teamwork, Progress, Integrity, and Accountability. Each value has interlocking lines around the outside to represent commitment to that value and the outer circle ripple represents the positive impact these values have on Toll’s culture. The intersecting patterns throughout the set represents Toll’s people who play a significant role in bringing these values to life every day in their roles.

‘Recognise and Celebrate’ was created in celebration of National Carers Week’s 30-year anniversary and uses 30 footprints to represent this continuing journey. The footprints weave through five themes from over the years, these are:

• Carers need care too - represented by a person taking time out to look after their own self-care.
• Recognition for carers - represented by a carer surrounded by people showing them appreciation and recognition.
• Connection and support for carers - represented by carers coming together to connect and support each other.
• Why we care - represented by a hand and a heart.
• Millions of reasons to care - represented by the millions of reasons to care logo.

Interacting with National Carers Week and the themes are the carers across Australia; and the diversity of these carers is represented by different coloured marble dots including, rural and remote carers (red ochre/yellow ochre dots), Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island people (colours of our flag), CALD (blue and white representing hope and peace), young carers (Young Carers Network brand colours), other carers (Australian flag colours) who do not fall into one of these categories and non-carers (green). Lastly, across the artwork, the small blue, green, and white dots represent National Carers Week recognising and celebrating these carers who provide care and support to a family member or friend.

‘Diverse Connectedness’ is a piece that represents coming together, virtually or in person, of Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) diverse internal and external stakeholders and creating an environment that values diversity and where all feel welcome and connected.
It is inspired by a rising sun to illustrate the process of rising towards a digital future and connecting DTA’s internal stakeholders (the pink figures) with the external stakeholders (the yellow figures), who are connected regardless of remoteness, and who are sharing knowledge and working together to secure Australia’s digital future.
The ripples that transcend across the three pieces represent the positive impact this will have for all Australians and communities who are represented by the circles within the ripples.

‘Learn. Grow.’ was created for the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation’s (AGO) learning and development strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to empower AGO’s people to learn, grow and develop and build a culture of continuous learning that allows them to readily adapt to meet future skilling requirements. Personally, growth is one of my core values and I represent growth with the use of trees. A quote that I think resonates for this piece is Anthony J. D'Angelo’s quote “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow”. I believe there is always room to grow and become a better version of yourself and I hope this piece will inspire AGO’s staff on their continuous learning and development journey.

Across the three panels is the lifecycle of a butterfly, beginning as a caterpillar and transitioning to a butterfly.

In the first panel, there are two caterpillars that represent the carer and the person being cared for. The yellow theme represents positivity, and perhaps happier times. The symbols in the leaves represent diagnosis, acceptance of diagnosis and getting prepared for the journey ahead with a focus on utilising CarerHelp resources and creating a support network.

The magenta panel, panel two, represents compassion. It is the stage where the carer is caring for the dying person and supporting them with their needs including getting their affairs in order. It also includes a focus on self-care of the carer and following through with their own self care plan. At the edge of the second panel, the person being cared for dies and this is represented by the cocoon, the other caterpillar, the carer, continues on its own journey.

The green/blue theme chosen for the third panel represents grief and growth.The carer is grieving and adjusting to life after caring, but also experiencing personal growth. The one they cared for is still with them, just in another form - a butterfly.

You’re Not Alone represents a parent's journey in adjusting to the life a new baby brings and the support and care the Perinatal Wellbeing Centre (the Centre) provides. With key themes of nurturing, supporting, journey and the ups and downs of early parenthood, the piece follows a parent’s journey through the Centre.

The journey begins at the bottom left corner of the artwork, where a parent becomes aware of the services provided by the Centre and connects with a mental health worker.

The centre of the artwork represents the parent joining other parents at the Centre for support. Support includes 1-1 sessions with a perinatal mental health worker and the option to attend group sessions. These group sessions provide the parents an opportunity to meet and connect with other parents on similar journeys and expand their support network.

The top-right corner represents parents transitioning out of the Centre equipped with knowledge, tools, and networks to support their parental journey with the understanding that the Centre is there to assist them should they need to reach out for help in the future.

The background fades from dark to light to represent the parent’s journey but also represent the Centre’s visibility once parents know the support is available. The ripples represent the ripple effect of how a slight change (reaching out to the Centre for support) can have a significant impact (positive impact for the journey of parenthood).

ACT’s (BBACT) journey of healing and reconciliation as a community.

The journey begins by laying some solid foundations.This is represented at the bottom of the piece by the earthy colours and signifies Ngunnawal country. Ngunnawal country is the land on which BBACT and the clubs (represented by the six paths) come together to play the game they share a passion for and ignite the healing journey.

BBACT and the clubs shared commitment to this ongoing journey of healing and reconciliation is represented by the paths crossing and coming together (the two interlocking lines) which ultimately lead to a future state where all players and supporters come together and feel welcomed and included. This also extends to the wider ACT community represented by the (blue/yellow ripples).

‘Commitment to connection’ tells the story of IPAA ACT and their commitment to Canberra and community, including their ongoing journey of reflection, respect and reconciliation.

The overall concept reflects connection with the private, public, peak bodies and academic sectors and relationships with the other state and territory IPAAs coming together to share expertise and knowledge. Debating, collaborating, innovating, communicating and building capability in public administration. In particular it shows IPAA ACT as a conduit to connect.The colours and elements of ‘Commitment to connection’ are inspired by those seen in the Canberra region.

The leaves of a eucalyptus, the most common native tree in the region but also common in other regions of Australia, represents IPAA ACT and the other sectors coming together in an abstract royal bluebell shape to represent Canberra. The colours of the leaves were inspired by the colours I see during autumn in the region. Since moving to the region nearly a decade ago, I am still mesmerized by the beautiful colours seen in the distinct seasons experienced in the region, autumn included. The royal bluebell’s yellow centre represents IPAA ACT and the sectors coming together, the royal bluebell petals represent each of the sectors and the outside of the royal bluebell represents the ACT community. Surrounded on the outside by IPAA QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, NT, WA, SA to represent their connection to IPAA ACT but also connection to the Australian community.

‘Sunrise to Sunset’ was created to reflect CHN’s cultural journey to date and their Cultural Competency Framework (CCF).

The concept as a whole is an abstract representation of a First Nation individual surrounded by community and how the journey CHN is on, will positively contribute to the social and emotional wellbeing of the individual and the community.

The two interlocking lines that create the outline of the individual represents collaboration and co-design and ongoing commitment to learning and building relationships with First Nation people and communities.

The sunrise represents new beginnings and is used to represent the beginning of CHN’s journey back in 2015.

The rain represents renewal and represents CHN’s renewed commitment to how services are delivered to First Nation people and communities from the creation of their CCF.

The stars represent the opportunities that lay ahead in CHN’s journey of implementing the CCF which will support CHN’s core business of leading the way in advancing how healthcare is delivered in the ACT.

‘Step in the right direction’ was created to represent the journey Australian Pharmacy Council is on to embed cultural safety into pharmacy education programs in Australia, and thereby contributing to a culturally safe workforce.

Starting at the bottom of the piece, the footprints represent APC, through the literature review, getting the current lay of the land and seeing who is doing what with respect to recognising Indigenous health issues in education programs.

The footprints at the top part of the painting again represent APC but post the literature review. Applying the findings to develop appropriate curricula and assessment to ensure their graduates are able to practice in a culturally safe way and support improved health outcomes of First Nations people. This positive impact on health outcomes for First Nations people is represented by the ripples (white dots).

The design for this piece was a collaborative effort with staff and students at Gold Creek School. Earmarked to feature on the staff shirts, this piece represents the staff and students starting off on different paths then coming together to undertake a shared path and journey that embodies Gold Creek School’s 10 values and behaviours - caring, communicator, open-minded, risk-taker, inquirer, reflective, knowledgeable, thinker, principle, well-balanced.

The shared path is leading to a place where staff and students come together as one to learn from each other and grow together. It’s a place where all staff and students feel a sense of belonging and extend this feeling of belonging and connectedness to the communities where the staff and students come from.

Menslink supports young men in the Canberra region through free counselling, mentoring and education programs. I am a big supporter of the work Menslink does as it contributes to what I spoke about in my Journey of Change piece around the need to shift our culture from one that strives for power over each other and over nature, to one based on mutual respect. Little boys everywhere are conditioned to be stoic via repetitive statements like ‘boys don’t cry’ and ‘man up’. (Shaikh, 2017). Instead of providing them the tools they need to be able to feel the full range of human emotions, they’re taught to ignore most of them - unless their emotions are associated with “perceived” dominance e.g. anger.
“Fostering resilience & empathy” represents the work Menslink does to break down toxic masculinity and support young men to become more resilient and develop the ability to address their emotional challenges without resorting to aggression and violence, self-harm or substance abuse. The two hands represent the support and holistic approach of Menslink within the ACT (the background). In the centre, the six sections represent Menslink’s values that guide them in their work to support the young men in their journey to build resilience and empathy so they can become the great men they want to be.

References:
Marsden 2018: Marsden, H 2018, ‘International Women's Day: What are matriarchies, and where are they now?’, Independent, 8 March 2018, viewed 17 October 2020 <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/international-womens-day-matriarchy-matriarchal-society-women-feminism-culture-matrilineal-elephant-bonobo-a8243046.html>
Shaikh, 2017: Shaikh, M 2017, ‘3 Ways in Which Men are Victims of Patriarchy (Without Knowing It)’, The Quint, 23 November 2017, viewed 17 October 2020 https://www.thequint.com/neon/gender/how-patriarchy-hurts-men-too-sexual-assault-career-options-emotions

‘Reflective connectedness’ has been commissioned by AusIMM for their inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). AusIMM is the peak body for people working in the resources sector recognising and promoting the importance of equality of opportunity for all people pursuing careers in the sector. AusIMM’s RAP is a critical step in their continuing journey to advance reconciliation for First Nations people and communities.

‘Reflective connectedness’ represents the resource industry’s fundamental connectedness to (and dependence upon) country. The earth is represented at the centre with land and resources at the centre surrounded by our oceans. AusIMM represents 65,000 professionals and has a global footprint - they are represented by the footprints and the people around the outside of the centre element.

The decagon extract connecting through to the centre element represents AusIMM’s connection to the community (represented in the background), the resource sector and the land (centre element). The decagon extract features five circles. The four blue circles represent AusIMM’s values of respect, unity, innovation and integrity and the icon in the grey circle represents the five dimensions of reconciliation.

‘Shining light’ is a piece commissioned by Carers Australia the national peak body representing Australia’s unpaid carers.

The overall concept of ‘Shining light’ is that of a sunrise lighting up the landscape as it rises. Like the sun, Carers Australia, as the national peak body representing unpaid carers, shines a light and advocates on the behalf of unpaid carers to influence policies and services at a national level. Their vision is an Australia that values and supports the contribution that carers make both to the people they care for and to the community as a whole.

The centre, the sun, represents Carers Australia and surrounding them are the sun’s rays in the form of a compass. With their four primary objectives and four strategic priorities depicted as the eight main points of the compass guiding them towards their vision and pointing outwards to the eight member associations. The eight member associations are each represented by an element that looks like a person with their hands up in the air reaching up. This represents the member associations reach out to the community of carers. The sky being lit up by the sunrise represents the carers across Australia and those that they care for.

'Rippling to thrive' represents their purpose and the positive ripple effect nurturing and enabling Callida people has on their families, communities and country to thrive.

Reflective Growth was commissioned by Safe Work Australia (SWA) for their inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The overall concept is from the view of standing at the base of a tree looking up. The tripartite partnership that SWA operates in is represented by the trunk of the tree which, because of the shape formed when you look up, resembles that of a triangle.

A tree’s trunk acts as a distributor to carry nutrients from the roots through to the branches. In the context of SWA, SWA drives national policy development on WHS and workers compensation matters nationally to all Australians. The nine sets of branches with varying shades of green leaves represents the WHS regulators (Comcare plus the States and Territories) who facilitate SWA’s national reach to influence and shape healthier, safer and productive workplaces for all Australians. The 15 members that make up SWA are represented by the subtly larger dots on the trunk outline and the smaller dots represent the SWA and WHS staff who support the members.

The reconciliation journey that SWA is embarking on is represented by the three circles within the tree representing the key elements of a RAP - relationships, respect and opportunities. SWA’s commitment is represented by the two interlocking lines surrounding the circles. The varying shades of blue represent the sky and the concept of no limits which ties with the growth I believe organisations experience when they implement a RAP.

Read the Safe Work Australia RAP

This piece was commissioned by CPA Australia for their first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). When I first began to design this piece, and with my understanding of CPA Australia, being a member myself, I wanted to capture, overall, the endless opportunities that could result from combining the elements of the reconciliation journey with that of CPA Australia’s vision and the internationally recognised designation that it offers its members. So to capture this, I chose to use the overall concept of Earth and Space and liken that to CPA’s reconciliation journey.

At the very centre of the piece I have represented CPA Australia’s core services: Education, Training, Tech support and Advocacy using a four-blade propellor to represent propelling CPA forward into the future. The next layer, represented by the two continuous interlocked lines, represents CPA’s ongoing commitment to their vision of partnering with members to prepare for today and tomorrow in a globally connected world. The members are represented by the six layers of coloured dots and the different colours represent the diversity of members and the field they work within.

Intersecting with this layer is how I have chosen to represent the reconciliation journey. The five slightly smaller circles represent the five dimensions of which reconciliation is based and measured upon, they are: historical acceptance, race relations, equality & equity, institutional integrity and unity. The three larger circles represent the core components of the RAP which are Respect, Relationships and Opportunities. The reason I chose to have the reconciliation journey intersecting with the layer representing the members is because CPA’s reconciliation journey will involve them too. As I believe it will provide an opportunity for the members to encourage their organisations to continue, or embark on, the reconciliation journey.

With the ‘Earth’s layers’ capturing the essence of CPA Australia and its members combined with that of CPA’s RAP journey, the background, ‘Space’, is how I have chosen to represent the endless opportunities and pathways that will be available to CPA Australia as they embark on their reconciliation journey.

Read the CPA Australia RAP

This piece was commissioned by Harris Park preschool and the brief was to depict the animals that represent each of the classrooms. To me, the different animals represent the following: the kookaburra ‘happiness’, the echidna ‘uniqueness’, the koala ‘calmness’, and the kangaroo or marrawuy ‘a journey/moving forward’ as a kangaroo can’t jump backwards. All these animals represent important concepts to me that I try to embody in my life’s journey.

I love the kookaburra and its unique call that sounds like laughter. Whenever I hear a kookaburra laughing it makes me smile. In life, I have learned that happiness is a journey it’s not a destination and so I find ways to bring happiness to my everyday life. Even something as simple as a kookaburra laughing or a beautiful sunrise or sunset brings me a sense of happiness. I have also learned that it’s important to steer clear from a mindset of thinking happiness will come once an event has occurred e.g. ‘once I achieve X, I’ll be happy or once I have this amount of dollars, I’ll be happy or once I get married and have a family, I’ll be happy etc.’ because with that type of mindset I don’t think happiness will ever be achieved, or last very long, as there will always be something else that needs to happen in order to be happy and therefore happiness will be forever a pursuit and never ‘achieved’. So find ways to bring yourself happiness everyday.

Embrace your uniqueness, like the echidna, a monotreme who challenges the animal kingdom with it being a mammal that lays eggs, everyone is unique and I think it’s important to know, accept and own that. Instead of trying to be someone you think others want you to be and striving for that, standout and embrace your uniqueness and be the person you want to be because that is going to be the you who makes you feel the best in the long run. This is something I have always strived for, I don’t want to be like everyone else, I challenge almost every situation that is considered a norm or tradition. Some find this challenging when I do this but I think it’s important to be disruptive because I believe that is how we evolve.

Embrace the koala’s calmness, especially when in stressful situations as remaining calm will allow you to keep a clear head and take the right course of action for the situation. So when I am experiencing a stressful situation, I take a deep breath or two, endeavour to focus on the positive outcomes that can occur and avoid the negative thoughts - when I find myself slipping to negative thoughts I try to counter it with a positive. Lastly, I remind myself that this current state won’t last forever and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Lastly, life is a journey and it is going to have its good and tough times so remembering in those tough times to just keep moving forward, one step in front of the other, just like the kangaroo. And in the good times, reveling in that feeling and continuing to move forward as there is always something new to learn and experience.

This piece was commissioned by Our Place Early Learning Googong in February 2019. It features the Our Place Early Learning centre with the staff featuring at the centre of the piece and pathways from each corner of the painting lead into to Our Place signifying parents dropping their children off for the day. The children will then spend the day in either water, air, fire or earth rooms which are depicted around the outside by symbols that are currently used to identify the different rooms. The painting also highlights what Our Place aims to provide and that’s a place where children (depicted around the outside on the inner circle) and adults can come to learn, play and build relationships and these activities are depicted in the centre of the piece around the staff who facilitate this.

Nations Blockchain (FNB) in January 2019 and with the brief of creating a piece that represented the FNB concept. So we start with the circle that has FNB in the centre of the painting and it represents that FNB is a global blockchain that exists to positively impact First Nations People across the globe. The centre shape that features in the middle of the piece occurs when three circles partly overlap with one another. This is often called the Hedgehog concept and in the FNB context, means driving social gain with economic gain through setting up a global blockchain hub for authentic First Nations art, with unique access to artists and digital provenance (history and culture). Connecting to the blockchain platform are the sellers (person with a piece of artwork) and buyers (multiple people and a dollar sign). Lastly the circles in the background represent the concept of the ripple effect whereby a small change can have a big impact ie the social and economic impact that will result from the FNB platform existing will begin off small but will grow as the pool of artists and buyers grow.

‘Elevating to New Heights’ stems from the fact PwC and PIC have developed an Elevate RAP and with that becoming a leader in the space of reconciliation, and reaching new heights. It ties into my theme of using a tree and how I associate it with growth.

As you view the painting, you are looking at it from a Birds eye view. You see the inside of a tree and its roots. Its roots represent a strong foundation, an enabler for growth which is what has and will continue to happen to PwC & PIC in their reconciliation journey. The roots also represent the diversity of PwC and PIC and its peoples. The important role they play when it comes to working together to achieve their reconciliation vision.

Their reconciliation journey is represented by the growth rings in the tree trunk and the interlocking lines in a continuous run that form the tree trunk represents their ongoing commitment to reconciliation. Lastly, the colours of the background are not just the brand colours but represent a sunrise and with each new sunrise is a chance for new opportunities in this new phase of their reconciliation journey.

Read the PwC RAP

‘Journey of Life’ is a painting that I have done for Palliative Care Australia (PCA). PCA was launched 20 years ago in 1998 and is the national peak body for palliative care. Their mission is to influence, foster and promote the delivery of quality palliative care for all. The brief was to represent life and death but in a bright and comforting way as well as represent PCA.A couple of months later and I have done just that. I have created a piece of artwork that represents the journey of life.
I chose to use a tree as the centre piece of the artwork and have the tree represent a journey. Within the tree are what I consider important life experiences and I sat on this a while trying to determine what is actually important in life but what are some of the hard times that people will experience too. So I started with the positives of life, the good times, and I came up with family, growth, learning, health and love all of which are represented in the bottom panel of the tree. Family is represented at the bottom of the tree by a baby surrounded by their parents, siblings and grandparents as I believe this is one of the earliest experiences most will encounter and family is an important ongoing aspect in life. As that baby grows to a child to a teenage to adulthood, I considered growth, both physical and mentally, to be important to include and have represented this by using a small plant sprouting. Growth goes side by side with learning. You grow your mind as you learn new information which has been represented by a book. Maintaining good health is also important in life and I have represented this by painting a lifeline. The lifeline is also symbolic of life’s ups and downs. The next important aspect in life is to keep healthy through exercise and I have represented this by someone running. And of course there is love. Love is represented by two people forming a heart. This isn’t just about finding the ‘one’ love but all love experienced during life and includes love of family and friends.
Now the top part of the tree only shows half the tree, I have done this as I wanted to represent this next part as not something everyone will necessarily experience but is a possible life experience. And that experience is end of life care provided by PCA. I have represented this possible experience by first using part of PCA’s logo to represent PCA. Then as you move along the branch, I represent their commitment through a commitment knot, then the various providers of palliative care using a person with a medical kit. The last illustration is of a patient with their loved one by their side. The inevitable next phase is transitioning to the afterlife and this is represented by two hands forming hands behind a butterfly. The butterfly is a symbol I like to use to reflect transformation or change and in this painting I have used a butterfly to represent that of one passing to the afterlife. I have represented the afterlife in the white corner with outlines of butterflies to represent those that have already passed.
Going back to the main part of the tree, the next stage that many will experience after a loss is grief which I have represented using an eye with tear droplets. Everyone experiences grief differently but will likely go through, and back through, a number of stages including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I am all too familiar with what the various stages feel like. Mid-year, I lost my coach quite suddenly to pancreatic cancer and then a couple of months later my Nan unexpectedly passed on my birthday. Whilst both were extremely painful experiences, without them, I may not have understood or even known about this part of my painting. What I have learned is grief never goes away, you just learn to live with it. You carry a 5kg weight around long enough and you’ll get used to the weight of it that you will begin not to notice it. A friend and mentor who too has experienced grief also verified this concept and said that whilst it never goes away, you will transition from days on end of crying and sadness to more days of happiness and less days of sadness. That is what I have found to be true, most of my days are happy ones but I still become overwhelmed by memories and emotion on a regular basis and I expect this to continue but to become less regular after time.
However what I have also learned from experiencing grief is that I find you experience growth. I have felt that I have grown immensely as a person and value life more than I did six months ago. I am more ambitious and dreaming bigger than I ever have with what I want to achieve because when your times up, it’s up. You are unlikely to have a choice in the matter, so I try to live everyday like it’s my last. So I thought it was important to re-represent growth in the painting but this time by a more developed plant then the earlier version of growth. The last milestone I have represented is opportunities using a compass. Life is full of opportunities and you can’t wait for them to fall into your lap, you need to go searching for them too. I feel, since experiencing grief and my newfound commitment to make the most of my life, I have found myself searching out opportunities instead of waiting for them to be handed to me.
Lastly there are three sections of footprints throughout the two panels and they are representative of a journey through life but also to represent my belief in the circle of life. Because whilst I have experienced two deaths in the last 12 months I have also experienced two births, my cousin and my niece.

This painting was commissioned in August 2017 for use in CatholicCare Canberra & Goulburn (CCG)’s Innovate RAP. The brief I received from CCG was that the artwork should be representative of their organisation and their RAP journey therefore I have produced a piece of artwork that represents aspects relating to CCG’s organisation, their RAP journey and the ripple effect concept.
When I was researching and planning the piece of artwork for CCG, one statement that stood out for me was “We‘re the hands and the eyes, we’re the hearts and minds; we are there, there for any human.” I really wanted to incorporate this message and so I decided to look up the words in Ngyiampaa language. In Ngyiampaa language, hands is Mara, eyes is Mil, heart is Kii and whilst there was no word for ‘minds’ specifically there was Pala which means ‘head’. I thought this was an appropriate substitute.
Other information I wanted to capture in the painting was that CCG’s services cover the extensive coastline, the Snowy Mountains, the rolling hills and flat plains out west and I had these various terrains in mind when deciding the colour palette. CCG provides services on the land of five traditional owners (Ngunnawal People in the ACT, the Gundungurra people to the north, Yuin people to the south, Ngarigo to the South West, and the Wiradjuri people in the North-West). These mobs are represented in the painting by the upside down ‘U’ symbols which is a common Aboriginal symbol used to represent people. I have also tried to place the communities in a way you would find them on a map.
During my research I also noted nine services delivered by CCG and endeavoured to include icons that were representative of them. Some are self-explanatory but I have included explanations for my rational behind each one below:
-Family Support Services (depicted by two parent figures and a small child)
-Counselling Services (depicted by a figure representative of a counsellor who is sitting up straight whilst talking to a patient who is suffering and is represented by them sitting slightly bent over)
-Disability (depicted by a common icon of a person in a wheelchair, whilst acknowledging disability is more broad and not always visible I felt this was the right icon to use nonetheless)
-Aged Care (depicted by a person with a walking stick)
-Mental Health (depicted by a brain)
-Youth (depicted by an adult and a slightly shorter person to indicate being a youth)
-Homelessness (depicted by a person assisting someone homeless get on their feet)
-Alcohol and Other Drugs (depicted by a bottle but an upside down glass to represent the process of giving up alcohol)
-Housing (depicted by a house shape)
The green section represents CCG’s RAP journey. The filled-in footprints indicate what point CCG is currently at in their RAP journey, Innovate, and the steps yet to be taken are represented by the outline of footprints. The section also travels from bottom corner to top right corner to represent moving forward and I wanted to use green as I feel green represents growth but this section also is meant to be representative of the rolling hills mentioned previously. There are four main circles within the green section to represent the four various RAPs an organisation can implement. Keeping in mind each RAP builds on the previous RAP (hence why the circles grow with each RAP) and that the journey to Reconciliation isn’t something that happens overnight. My inspiration to represent these various aspects of the Reconciliation journey and that Reconciliation doesn’t happen overnight was to use the concept of tree growth rings. Each year, the tree forms new cells, arranged in concentric circles called annual rings or annual growth rings and I thought this tied in quite nicely to represent the Reconciliation journey.
As mentioned previously, I wanted to represent the various terrains CCG services and so part of the blue section is to represent the coastline. However my inspiration to represent this section as ripples is from one of my favourite movies as a child, Pocahontas, and one quote that has stuck with me is when Grandmother Willow dips her vine into the water and says “So small at first, then look how they grow. But someone has to start them.” I feel this interpretation ties in quite nicely with the Reconciliation journey because even the smallest steps can lead to greater positive change.