Wild Flowers: DRH Commissioned Artwork 2024

November, 2024

Working with Josie Rose, a Gumbaynggirr artist, has been a remarkable experience, as her artistry brings forward a rich tapestry of Indigenous knowledge and connection to Country.

Her artwork, Wild Flowers, deeply resonates with the landscapes and ecosystems across the University of Newcastle Department of Rural Health’s regions. This piece, commissioned in 2024 for our Department is a tribute to the small, often delicate, yet vital plants, vines, trees, and grasses that thrive from the red soils of the west to the lush, green ranges, and further east to the ocean's edge. These plants are not only essential for bush medicine and bush tucker but embody the interwoven stories of First Nations lands.

Josie’s artist statement highlights that Wild Flowers is inspired by the three primary water systems intersecting across this area, spanning the traditional lands of five major Indigenous groups. She emphasises that, just as health professionals in training honour the land and its people, they must also acknowledge the significance of these native plants, which are protected and preserved by Ancestors for their healing properties. Josie’s message reminds us that human health and wellbeing are as vulnerable and delicate as these ecosystems, underscoring the need for respect and care toward both.