Title: Barwon Neighbourhood Houses 

Everyday the sunrises to bring us a new day. Bunjil (wedge tailed eagle) the creator of Wadawurrung country soars high in the sky, watching over Country,  waters and people. Waa (The crow) is the protector.

The U shapes represent  the 24 Barwon neighbourhood houses that are located across Wadawurrung and Eastern Marr Country the U shape symbolises sitting down. Community houses are the heart of suburbs a place to gather, provide services and information for all living in the community, The Eucalypt leaves are a sign of Welcoming used in Traditional ceremonies to cleans and provide a safe space and passage on Country

The hand in the middle symbolises everyone’s commitment to Reconciliation, it takes many hands to come together.

The track markings are of kangaroos and emus that once were of plenty across Country.

Water gives life to country and all of us. Our sea Country, River Country and wetlands are home to abundance of species that roam across Wadawurrung and Eastern Marr Country.

About the Artist - Billy-Jay O’Toole (BJ)

Billy-Jay (BJ) O’Toole aims to educate people about his culture and love for land through his art. BJ grew up in Geelong on Wadawurrung Country, an area that stretches from the Great Dividing Range in Victoria’s north all the way to the south coast, covering the land between Aireys Inlet in the west to the Werribee River in the east.

At the age of 23 he graduated with a Certificate IV in Aboriginal Cultural Heritage management and has managed and protected cultural heritage sites on Wadawurrung Country working for Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. Working on country everyday ignited his passion for art. Through his business Papul Art, BJ enjoys creating collaborative commissioned works - recent projects include interpretative signage that tells the story of falling waters at Lal Lal Reservoir (Central Highlands Water and Barwon Water), designing a playground in Ocean Grove, tops for the Torquay Tornadoes Hockey Club and footy boot artwork for Geelong Cats’ star Tom Hawkins for the second Indigenous round.

We are thrilled to have commissioned BJ create this beautiful artwork capturing the essence of Neighbourhood Houses Barwon and our Reconciliation journey together with the 24 Neighbourhood Houses in the Barwon region and the communities they serve. Please click here to go to BJ's website! 

Digital Assets and Guidelines for use at a NH Barwon Neighbourhood House

Neighbourhood Houses Barwon commissioned Billy Jay O’Toole to create this artwork for our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and has paid for the licence for its use.

As you can see in the attached detailed licence agreement, the artist Billy Jay O’Toole has agreed to all 24 Neighbourhood Houses in the Barwon region accessing and using the attached images of his artwork as stipulated in the document. If you are not sure how or for what the artwork can be used and it is not clear in this document, please contact us at NHBarwon and we can clear it up for you or follow up with BJ directly. Always best to ask rather than assume. 

Included in the licence agreement is permission for each Neighbourhood House to print one copy of the artwork in full for display in the Neighbourhood House.

We would really encourage you to do this, to increase the experience of welcome and inclusion for First Nations people entering and using your space; to further acknowledge and show respect First Nations history and culture, and to build on the journey of learning and reconciliation for all of us.

Access High-Definition image of artwork via this Dropbox Link https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/8d04dj11gplxa2zspkfsz/h?dl=0&rlkey=qeekkifbnyk54gls5yxbxrwpd

If you’re not sure how to go about printing the artwork, you can contact Anthea for suggestions of printers that can do this for you. The real journey starts now, and we would love you to be involved! Have a chat to Jodie Flood, Marcelle Renkin or Anthea Warlond if you want to find out more about our reconciliation journey.