Tag: Newtown

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Documenting the launch of the Heart Research Institute’s reconciliation action plan

Recently, I had the privilege of photographing an important milestone for The Heart Research Institute (HRI): the launch of their Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). It was an afternoon dedicated to acknowledging responsibility, strengthening partnerships, and outlining HRI’s commitment to improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

A reconciliation plan is more than a policy document – it’s a framework for meaningful action. It lays out how an organisation intends to build respectful relationships, deepen cultural understanding and create better opportunities for collaboration with First Nations communities. HRI used this event to publicly set out its goals, with a particular focus on advancing Aboriginal health through research, community involvement and culturally informed practice.

The event opened with a Welcome to Country, grounding the room in respect and signalling the significance of the moment. A series of speeches followed, each reinforcing HRI’s commitment to reconciliation and outlining the practical steps that the organisation is now taking. As a photographer, I am aware of the importance of these moments – the mix of sincerity, energy and shared purpose.

The Djurali Aboriginal health team played a central role in the afternoon’s proceedings, representing lived experience and professional expertise working with culturally responsive health initiatives. After the formalities, I was asked to photograph the team as a group, as well as make individual portraits. We made our way to a nearby park, which offered a calm and natural backdrop. The soft afternoon light and open green space helped to create a relaxed atmosphere, allowing each person’s confidence to shine through.

This assignment reminded me how meaningful photography can be when it’s tied to moments of genuine progress and community connection. Documenting events like this is not just about recording who was in attendance – it’s about acknowledging the significance of the work being done and honouring the people at its heart.

Pictured: the Djurali team
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Annual Portrait shoot for NAPWHA in the streets Newtown

For several years I have photographed for the team working in the HIV space, NAPWHA (National Association of People Living with HIV Australia). NAPWHA is a peak body which spans advocacy, representation, policy & health and promotion for people living with HIV. Each year, for the annual report,  I am asked to update their staff photos, individual portraits and group shots.

This year, as a point of difference, I decided to create an alternative representation of the individual images by creating composite portraits of three images of the same person … also as a way of showing the idea of diversity

As in previous years, we head into the back streets of Newtown, where the NAPWHA office is located, to find an interesting urban backdrop for the portraits. It is not hard to find a laneway or street lined with bold, colourful graffiti. A big thanks to the local street artists for helping us with the artistic direction of the shots

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NAPWHA – the annual group shot in Newtown

Each year I photograph the hard-working team at NAPWHA (The National Association of People with HIV Australia). The shots are used for their annual report, which aims to highlight NAPWA’s policy of advocacy, health promotion, effective representation and outreach on a national level. The logistics needed to get a large number of busy people to be free at the same time for a group photo is not always easy, however Saysana (Communications and Community Engagement) manages each time. We usually set up the shoot in the laneways not far from the NAPWHA offices, where the graffiti adds to the atmosphere. The urban street-scape of the back streets of Newtown creates an interesting location, although we have to continually make way for passing cars. This year we also completed a number of individual shots of Aaron, Adrian, Brent and the team posed in front of the graffiti and ivy.

Signs of the times……