Paint and Yarn in Warrnambool
With sprigs of gum leaves adorning the table, CCV staff started the workshop with a mindfulness activity.
Earlier this year, our team in Warrnambool had their first staff get together of 2025, where they shared lunch and spent the afternoon at a Paint and Yarn workshop with Rhys Jeffers from Yeerra Ngitj.
Rhys is a proud Wadawurrong man who founded Yeera Ngitj, located in Colac, with a mission to foster cultural understanding and connection through the joy of art.
With sprigs of gum leaves adorning the table, they started with a mindfulness activity where they discovered that each eucalyptus gum leaf has a slightly different scent despite being from the same tree. They reflected that each one of them was a leaf on the tree of CatholicCare Victoria, each with their own story, all the same but also different.
Staff were invited to close their eyes and think of their homes, imagine how it looks now, and going back in time to remember how things may have looked different. The visualisations were accompanied by background audio of Australian bird songs and sounds of nature to guide them.
Following this and with homes and families in mind, they were then invited to paint on individual canvases.
Rhys provided references of commonly used Aboriginal symbols and their meanings, and encouraged staff to paint their stories and share the process.
“We each went on our own journey creating our artworks; sharing, reflecting, and some were quiet. Rhys created a relaxed and comfortable environment for us to be creative, engage in friendly banter and encouraged us to ask questions and chat. At the same time, he allowed space for vulnerability through the artistic process. As a group we all cooperated in the painting of a larger canvas, too. The painting represents the story of us all – our roles, our community – and will be a piece that hopes to encourage sharing and connection,” Letitia Gunn, CCV Case Coordinator said.
The Warrnambool team added their artwork and will proudly display it in their office as a statement of hope for truth-telling, treaty, and reconciliation.
We thank Rhys for facilitating a fantastic afternoon and highly recommend this workshop. Find out more about Yeera Ngitj.
