Celebrating 100 Years of Maternal and Child Health Care in the City of Yarra 1917-2017

Kitty Owens, All Hail Sister Muriel Peck, 2017, vinyl print at Princess Hill Maternal and Child Health Centre

Site 7 Public art trail map

This large scale image transforms a hand-coloured photocopy into a vision of Sister Muriel Peck, as a guardian spirit for the City of Yarra Maternal and Child Health Service.

Sister Muriel Peck was the first maternal health nurse employed in Victoria, in Richmond in 1917, and her first three months of wages were guaranteed by the female activists who set up the centre. She is pictured in this artwork in around 1920, with an unnamed mother and baby. The vinyl signage is a standard commercial product – the shiny coating on the panel provides a shimmering luminescent quality invoking a spiritual apparition.

Artwork Acknowledgements

Images from historic photographs supplied by Richmond and Burnley Historical Society, and sourced from Museum Victoria, Queen Elizabeth Centre and DEECD library.