This artwork tells a story of connection, continuity, and culturally grounded care through the journeys of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives. It reflects the strength of collaborative models of care that are built through relationships, shared understanding, community, and collective responsibility.
Throughout the artwork, meeting places and flowing pathways symbolise the coming together of nurses, midwives, individuals, families, leaders, and community. These interconnected spaces represent collaboration, learning, mentorship, and support, reinforcing that care is never isolated. Instead, it is continuous, evolving, and strengthened through shared knowledge, cultural understanding, and collective care across generations.
Ultimately, the artwork speaks to the enduring nature of Aboriginal ways of knowing, being, and doing. It highlights that caring for community is not simply a role, but something deeply embedded, intuitive, and carried forward through generations.
Figures in blue and purple represent nurses and midwives, surrounded by clapsticks symbolising celebration and recognition of a 25-year milestone.
These elements represent that while nurses and midwives remain grounded in purposeful and culturally responsive practice, they are continually guided by core perspectives that shape service delivery, strengthen accountability, and keep them aligned in their work with community.
The meeting place symbol represents the NaMO network and its connection across the 18 Local Health Districts and Specialty Health Networks throughout NSW. It reflects the strength of coming together through shared knowledge, collaboration, leadership, and culturally grounded practice.
Each connected element symbolises the relationships built between nurses, midwives, services, and communities across diverse regions of NSW.
This element represents connection, shared understanding, and collaborative models of care.
A central meeting place symbol represents connection and shared understanding. Figures in blue and purple identify nurses and midwives, while surrounding neutral figures represent individuals and community.
This symbolises the carrying of knowledge, care and cultural practices across generations.
Coolamon forms symbolise the carrying of knowledge and care across generations. Featuring baby symbols and bush medicine, they reflect both traditional healing practices and the contemporary roles of nurses and midwives
Flowing pathways move across the artwork in blue and purple tones, representing journeys of healing, growth, leadership, and connection.
Emerging from the grounded figures of nurses and midwives, the pathways travel through spaces of collaboration and guidance before connecting into broader community meeting places where shared understanding and collaborative models of care are achieved.
A continuous pathway extending from the lower left through to the upper right reflects the ongoing nature of this work, symbolising that growth, learning, and connection are forever evolving and always connected.
Coolamon forms woven throughout the artwork represent the carrying of knowledge, care, and cultural practices. Positioned across both soft and dotted background spaces, they symbolise the tools, strength, intuition, and resilience nurses and midwives hold within their practice.
The inclusion of baby symbols, bush medicine, and Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) acknowledges traditional healing knowledge and nourishment, while reflecting the nurturing and holistic care that continues within contemporary nursing and midwifery roles today.
Figures in blue and purple represent nurses and midwives grounded in culture, community, and purposeful practice. Their journeys move through spaces of collaboration, mentorship, leadership, and growth, supported by one another and guided by Aboriginal perspectives in practice. Darker tones symbolise leaders who provide strength, direction, and support along these pathways.
Celebratory elements throughout the artwork honour a 25-year milestone, recognising the enduring impact, resilience, and dedication of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives. Grounding circles and focal points reinforce connection to place, identity, and strategic foundations, while acknowledging the ongoing commitment to culturally safe and community-centred care.
Focal sub-points throughout the lower left of the artwork connect to the eight Aboriginal Perspectives in Practice, symbolising the core principles that guide service delivery, strengthen accountability, and shape culturally responsive practice.
