New campaign ‘up in lights’

GoolumGoolum Aboriginal Co-operative has launched a campaign showcasing the bond between mother and child to help tackle indigenous smoking in the region.

Throughout the next few months, Horsham residents and visitors will see images of regional indigenous mothers and babies ‘up in lights’ on an advertising wall on the corner of Firebrace Street and Roberts Avenue.

Co-operative cultural officer and early years worker Tanisha Lovett, who lent her artistic talent to the billboards’ designs, said the images portrayed the strong bond between mother and child.

She said the billboards were designed to promote harmful effects smoking had on the health of both mother and child during and after pregnancy.

“It has been an amazing campaign to work on,” she said.

“Initially, four local indigenous women were chosen to launch this campaign.

“These women are representing stages of pregnancy and parenthood of infants and also toddler-aged children.

“We believe this campaign will be successful and I am already planning the photography of more local indigenous identities for future health-promotion campaigns.”

Young mother Alicia Albanese, a proud Yorta-yorta woman, was the first ‘champion’ chosen for the billboards.

The image depicts Alicia in a warm embrace with her infant daughter, Elise.

“It’s great to represent our family, our mob and the local indigenous community in such a public way,” she said.

The billboard images and messages will accompany a social media and website campaign called GOMOB! The GOMOB! branding – created by Goolum Goolum – represents indigenous healthy lifestyle activities throughout greater western Victoria.

Health and wellbeing programs manager Dean O’loughlin said the organisation was working with Aboriginal health services to enhance health outcomes for members of the indigenous community.

He said the co-operative was proud to launch the new campaign as part of ongoing Tackling Indigenous Smoking health-promotion activities developed in response to findings published in the current Closing the Gap report.

Mr O’loughlin said the report showed since 2006, there had been an improvement in indigenous mortality rates, driven primarily by improvements in one of the leading causes of death – circulatory disease.

He said, however, non-indigenous mortality rates had improved at a similar pace and the gap had not narrowed.

“Of concern is a worsening of cancer mortality rates,” he said.

“The Tackling Indigenous Smoking program seeks to address smoking-related cancer and other diseases.

“It is also Aboriginal-led, community focused and place-based. Local campaigns, such as this new initiative, use the experience of local residents and transform community members into champions.”

He said the new anti-smoking campaign would feature heavily on the GOMOB! website, gomob.com.au, and Goolum Goolum social media platforms.