On Wednesday 23 October, the Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital will proudly unveil the Gadigal Eye Clinic, a pioneering eye clinic within the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD).
Image L-R: Jenny Barry, Pauline Rumma, Skye Parsons, Natalie Maier
Officiating the proceedings will be The Honourable Ryan Park MP, Minister for Health and Minister for Regional Health.
This state-of-the-art facility, formerly known as the Bicentennial Clinic, is designed to provide culturally safe and accessible eye care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and residents of regional and remote areas in New South Wales.
Jennie Barry, General Manager of Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital, emphasises that the Gadigal Eye Clinic represents a significant advancement in addressing the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
“Our vision for the Gadigal Eye Clinic reflects SESLHD's commitment to providing culturally sensitive and supportive eye health services closer to home,” she says.
“The name acknowledges the Gadigal people, the traditional custodians of the land around Sydney’s central business district, and our aim is to honour their rich history through both the clinical and cultural aspects of the clinic,” Ms Barry adds.
To further honour the Gadigal people's heritage, the landscaping around the hospital has been thoughtfully designed by https://www.wildflower.org.au/ Wildflower – Gardens for Good. This includes Aboriginal cultural markers such as guardian stones and native Australian plants, creating a space that connects cultural, ecological and community elements.
In addition to its visual enhancements, the Gadigal Eye Clinic boasts cutting-edge technology, which will expand to include a virtual clinic in 2025. This initiative, supported by the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation, enables ophthalmic specialists from Sydney Eye Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital to extend their reach to patients in regional and remote communities through advanced telehealth capabilities.
Professor Andrew Chang, Head of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation, has visited regional outreach centres over the past several months to ensure the proper installation and training of equipment.
“The Gadigal Eye Clinic will be a fully equipped virtual clinic, benefiting patients across the state highlighting the seamless collaboration between primary care providers and local hospital teams, and our specialist retinal cameras enhance outreach efforts,” Dr Chang says.
A significant feature of the new clinic which includes a welcoming lounge area, is the inclusion of visually arresting artwork titled Totem Dreaming, created by Billy Reynolds, a proud Dharawal and Yuin man from the South Coast of NSW.
The artwork consists of two panels and displays core totems of local Aboriginal culture – Buriburi (whale) and Djindaala (goanna). The totems are adorned with dotted circles and patterns representing ancestral meeting places and journeys. These two remarkable pieces will serve as a focal point of cultural connection within the clinic.
Reynolds has previously been commissioned to do artworks for the NRL, Cricket Australia, Surf Life Saving NSW and Waverley College. He shares his journey as an artist and connection with Country, almost lost due to the legacy of removal policies.
“Growing up, I didn’t have much exposure to my Aboriginal culture due to the impact of the stolen generation,” he says.
“At the age of 14 I enrolled into the Indigenous program at school and began learning more about my culture. Around this time, I went on a family holiday to Uluru and other parts of the Northern Territory and was immersed in culture and teachings, making me fall in love with my heritage. As soon as I came back home to Maroubra, I began my first artwork,” Reynolds explains.
The Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation is honoured to support the Gadigal Eye Clinic through the Closing the Gap fundraising events, which have raised $200,000 for cultural and technological advancements in partnership with Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital and regional centres in NSW.
The Gadigal Eye Clinic is now set to make a profound impact, bridging gaps in eye care and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of our First Nations peoples.
Above: Billy Reynolds
Below pictured left to right: Jennie Barry, General Manager of Sydney/Sydney Eye Hospital (SSEH), Kevin Heath, Aboriginal Health Worker South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (SESLHD), Aunty Linda Boney, Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer SESLHD and Dr Pauline Rumma, Director of Clinical Services SSEH.
