The Aboriginal Quitline website features elements from the above artwork with permission from the artist Dixon Patten.
This artwork represents one’s sickness and healing journey with cancer. The water depicts life and its constant flow. The journey starts with 'diagnosis', then naturally a person feels 'despair' and uncertainty. It moves to 'treatment' and then onto 'support' from family, friends, doctors, healers etc. The next phase is the 'small victories' a person has, as it can be up and down. Then finally onto 'spiritual healing', as not everyone heals physically but at the least, one can heal their spirit and I view this as the means to truly beat cancer.
Along the journey our ancestors are with us always and helping one to channel strength, protection, and perseverance. We also draw strength and energy from the land and the various colours depict the different traditional boundaries within Victoria as we come from all different tribal groups.
The artwork features skin cells that depict the body and the regeneration of cells. DNA is also present and represents everything being connected. The red blood cells feature a hand in the middle, the hand being us and the cells, being our family and blood ties to our ancestors.
The wavy lines in the background represent our life force and the energy that surrounds us. It is a constant that was here before us and will be here after we depart. The bigger circles in the background portray community and our circle of influence that we draw upon.
The three large blue circles with the centred daffodil represent Cancer Council Victoria's three pillars: Support, Prevention and Research, and their commitment to reduce the impact of all cancers for all Victorians while upholding their values of Excellence, Integrity, and Compassion. It shows the organisation's respect for Aboriginal culture, including the importance of land, family, community, and the holistic approach to health.
Dixon Patten - Yorta Yorta and Gunnai