An Indigenous artwork was unveiled at Williamstown Police station on Monday to mark National Reconciliation week, which runs until June 3.
Senior Sergeant Chris Allen revealed the painting at an event attended by Indigenous elders, Hobsons Bay mayor Angela Altair and other members of the community.
“This artwork is particularly meaningful for us as it was painted by one of our talented employees,” Senior Sergeant Allen said.
“Jena Galvin, one of our employees, has generously loaned the artwork.”
The painting depicts the first fleet, a soldier and an Aboriginal man on a background of bush, desert, sky and sea. It also features a pelican, symbolising Hobsons Bay.
Galvin, who discovered her Aboriginal roots in 2013, said the message behind the painting was “of two cultures coming together as one”.
Galvin’s great-grandmother was born November 9, 1876, near Manus, New South Wales. It appears she was part of the stolen generation and went by the name of Bridget Winifred Batson, nee Parsons. She raised her 10 children on a farm.
Senior Sergeant Allen said the art would hang in the main foyer of the station “as a symbol to anyone coming into the station of Victoria Police’s commitment to strengthening our partnerships with the Victorian Aboriginal community”.
