Natalie Bateman has designed an artwork which will be displayed throughout our health facilities to make them more culturally welcoming.
The artwork tells a story and signals that Canberra Health Services is a safe place.
Natalie Bateman (Walbanja-Yuin)
Monga Waratah 2021
Acrylic on canvas
Photograph: RLDI
Artwork creation supported by community generosity through Canberra Hospital Foundation
Collection: Canberra Health Services 2021
About the artist
Natalie Bateman is a proud Walbanja-Yuin artist on the NSW South Coast. Her cultural heritage, kinship and connection to the land and sea are at the heart of her very successful practice as an artist.
A message from Natalie Bateman
“We walk together in partnership, with shared values towards reconciliation. This design features the pathways that bring us to Canberra Health Services. The colours of the region’s vibrant native flowers welcome and enhance positivity, leading the way to healing and rehabilitation. We hope this work will be a marker on the journey to build trust with the community and help realise the Canberra Health Services’ vision to create exceptional health care together.
In the centre are the four kidney shapes representing the staff and the diverse communities of Canberra and the surrounding region. The centre circle is Canberra Health Services (and a sun which represents fire). Here we all gather, as if around a campfire, bringing respect, as we have been taught by our ancestors.
I chose the Monga Waratah because it comes from around the Braidwood/ Mongarlowe area. The four Monga Waratahs are a reminder of how we share the core values of Canberra Health Services; to be kind, respectful, progressive, and reliable.”
Supporting our vision
Natalie Bateman’s painting is part of a larger project called ‘Together, Forward’. It marks our commitment to undertaking an ongoing journey of recognising and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of working and approaches to holistic health and wellbeing. It will support us in our role to be a health service that is trusted by our community and help us live up to our shared values. We hope that it will welcome and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as both consumers and team members of Canberra Health Services.
