Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise Centennial Project“Art of the Bundjalung Nation”The health of Indigenous Australians is a national embarrassment with the average life expectancy of Aboriginal men approximately twenty years less than a white Australian. Type-two diabetes is one of the most serious causes of poor health in Aboriginal people, with its consequent complications of death, disability and blindness all too common. In an attempt to diagnose and address these complications before irreversible damage is done, the Diabetes Complication Assessment Clinic was launched from the Casino Aboriginal Medical Centre in 2002. Comprising a physician, ophthalmologist, podiatrist, dietician, laboratory technicians, cardiovascular nurses, counselor and Aboriginal health workers, the team visits Aboriginal communities in the Northern NSW on a rotating monthly roster screening for diabetes and implementing management of potential complications. By adopting a proactive approach, the team hopes to reduce the incidence of life threatening complications and disabilities in order to enable Aboriginal patients to enjoy a long and active life. Increasing numbers of patients are attending these clinics and it is gratifying to team members to see the numbers of young people coming to be screened and receive advice on healthy lifestyles. The one problem faced by the team has been a lack of certain important items of diagnostic equipment. In September 2004, the Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise decided to celebrate the Centenary of Rotary by inviting the many Aboriginal artists belonging to the Bundjalung Nation, an area in the Northern Rivers of NSW extending from Tweed Heads in the north, to Maclean in the south and, roughly, to Woodenbong in the west to submit their original works of art for exhibition and sale in Lismore in mid December. An aim of the function was to raise money to buy medical equipment for the DCAC team. |
Clinic coordinator Joanne Cooper, AMS CEO Michael Roberts top right and Aboriginal Health Worker Graham Walker receiving donated equipment from Kerrie Ellis, seated front, and Malcolm Tester.
Malcolm Tester & wife, Yvonne at the opening |
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The response was overwhelming with more than two hundred individual paintings received from more than ninety artists. The exhibition was opened in the Lismore City Hall by Bundjalung Elder, Uncle Ron Heron, supported by a group of fellow Elders, on the evening of December 3rd. Most of the artists were amateurs and few had ever exhibited their work but more than three hundred people who attended the opening reception displayed their appreciation of the art on offer by purchasing more than sixty paintings in just three hours. Top price of $5,500 was paid for a traditional portrayal of a kangaroo and emu by Clarence artist Paul Donnelly while a contempory watercolour by young Lismore artist Nicole Sten priced at $900 was sold at auction for $1300. Professional gallery owners, collectors and art lovers were strong in their praise of the quality of the work on display. The exhibition remained open for a further four days by which time over 100 paintings had been sold to a value of $41,950 with a total profit of slightly less than $50,000. Successful vendor artists received a commission of eighty percent of the sale price and shared $28,800. Generous sponsorship by local businesses and private individuals paid all of the expenses leaving the club with a profit of more than $15,000 with which to purchase and donate much needed medical and laboratory equipment to Aboriginal Health Services in the Northern Rivers. The initial and major item of donated equipment was a DCA 2000 blood analyzer, which performs sophisticated measurements of tissue changes caused by high blood sugar levels and electrolytes, essential for proper management of diabetes, which is one of the most common and serious threats to Aboriginal health. Also purchased were an electronic sphygmomanometer, a body fat analyzer and other items necessary for adequate diabetes management. These items, valued at more than $14,000 were presented to Mr. Michael Roberts, CEO of the Casino Aboriginal Medical Service at a function attended by Aboriginal Elders including Artist Nora Caldwell, other Indigenous artists, Rotarians and health professionals on Friday June 3rd. The coordinator of the Diabetes Complication Assessment Clinic, Joanne Cooper, expressed her appreciation to the convenors of the Art Show, Rotary President Kerrie Ellis and incoming President Malcolm Tester, a member of the DCaC team.
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