Papua New Guinea Grandmother

In 2003 I was fortunate to be asked to be one of five photographers to produce a photographic exhibition exploring HIV/Aids in the Asia-Pacific region.

A joint project commissioned by AusAid, the Australian Agency for International development that manages the Australian Government’s official overseas aid program and The Australian Women’s Weekly.

I went to PNG where HIV/Aids has become close to an epidemic.

The old woman broke through the dense crowd and stood in front of us with a baby on her hip, the baby had plastic bags covering her hands and feet. She pulled the bags off to show us tiny feet and hands covered in open sores.

She told us the baby’s mother and father had both died and she had been left with their seven children to raise. We were in a squatter camp called Six Mile, one of many that ring the capital, Port Moresby. It was crowded and dangerous, full of desperate people looking for a better life.

The exhibition Positive/Negative toured all Capital cities and has been touring regional Australia for the past two years.