Delicate brushstrokes of golden paint illuminate the soldiers standing at attention on Anzac Day on Mount Schrandez in Afghanistan.
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The landscape painting by Wingham artist, Jillian Oliver is a tribute to Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel who have served, and continue to serve in Afghanistan; and to Jillian's courage, determination and resilience in the face of physical trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
When Jillian paints, the brush is held in her left hand - her only hand - and each stroke on canvas is part of a process to improve use and the fine motor skills of her hand after the amputation of her lower right arm around three years ago. It was a devastating, necessary medical intervention after years of chronic pain from injuries sustained in a car accident around eight years ago near Dingo Tops.
"I was a police officer in Taree and during a cannabis eradication program in the mountains I was driving my car and it rolled 175 metres down a mountain near Dingo Tops. As a result of numerous injuries I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and three years ago it became necessary to amputate," Jillian said.
"It was a friend who suggested that I try painting to relax, and as I also had to learn how to go from being right-handed to left-handed, I thought painting could help with co-ordination and finer touches like writing and cooking meals."
Jillian reached out to acclaimed Tinonee artist and teacher, Ron Hindmarsh, and so began an unexpected journey of learning to paint, learning to use her left hand and learning to cope with the impact of PTSD and rehabilitation on her mindset.
"I was a very active person and the radical lifestyle change impacts you mentally as well as physically. Watching my two boys play sports was hard because I wanted to be out there playing, and the other big thing was not having a job I absolutely loved.
"You get to a point where you do feel sorry for yourself for a while, but then you go, you know what, I'm not dead, I am still here for the kids, I can still do things."
Jillian says she has "always been very passionate about our defence forces", and it was their courage, and resilience in the face of adversity and trauma that inspired her to paint dawn on Mount Schrandez, and to also do the necessary work to adjust her mindset about the loss of her arm.
"My grandfather was on Kokoda, and I've done a couple of treks up there before. I've seen what they endured, and then you have the blokes who have been to Afghanistan and what they've been through ... I've got nothing to complain about, and so that's been a motivation for me to give myself an uppercut and get on with it."
The decision to "get on with it" saw Jillian work to paint Mount Schrandez from an image that she had seen on an ADF Facebook post.
"When I finished I sent the painting to the group with a message saying that I had been inspired by those guys."
The choice to share her art became a catalyst for a series of events that have "shocked and delighted" Jillian, and contributed to her directing and co-curating the first International Veterans Art Exhibition alongside the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney, and co-founding Art & Soul in Wingham with artist, Ron Hindmarsh - they host fortnightly art classes in St Matthew's Anglican Church Fellowship Hall to support ex-servicemen and emergency services personnel with PTSD and depression.
The Mount Schrandez painting was raffled in Afghanistan and proceeds of around $1300 was given to a local orphanage, prints of the painting were sold, and one hangs in the office of Federal Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling OAM MP.
In October 2018 Mr Gosling congratulated Jillian, and spoke about the exhibition and her painting in federal parliament.
"I was introduced to Jillian by Lieutenant Colonel Steve Jenkins. Jillian, after losing a hand in an accident as a police officer, taught herself to paint with her left hand as part of her rehabilitation," Mr Gosling said.
"A print of a painting she drew of a dawn service in Afghanistan is in my office, and I invite members to drop by. I was proud to introduce Jillian to Australian National Veterans Art Museum's founder and head of arts programs, Tanja Johnson, and the two have worked closely on this watershed exhibition ever since.
"For the first time, veterans of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US, along with veterans from Ukraine and Poland, are exhibiting their work in a single exhibition."
Jillian said the introduction to Tanja Johnston of the Australian National Veterans Art Museum contributed to her decision to set up Art & Soul in Wingham. It's been running for about 12 months and plans are now in the pipeline to try to secure support from Rotary to set up similar classes throughout NSW, and to include farmers in areas impacted by drought.
"There's a path that just seems to keep opening up for me in this direction, and I'm not fighting it, I'm happy about it."
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