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

Kitty Owens, We Love You Back, 2017, foil print on Abbotsford/Collingwood Maternal and Child Health Centre

Site 1 Public art trail map

Until recent decades, most expectant mothers would knit a ‘layette’ (a term used for a collection of clothing for a newborn child). New babies are still brought to the service wrapped in a hand knitted or crocheted blanket.

We Love You Back appears to encircle the Abbotsford/Collingwood Maternal Health Care Centre with a crocheted baby blanket, representing the love and appreciation of generations of local families who have relied on maternal health nurses for practical advice and reassurance, quality health care, and for fostering friendships with other new parents. The love extends to the campaigners who established the first baby health centre in Victoria in Richmond in 1917, and advocated for centres to open in each neighbourhood in the City of Yarra. The foil print moulds onto the surface of the building, like a snug blanket should.

Artwork Acknowledgements

Image of ‘Granny Ripple Blanket’ courtesy of Staci Perry.

Follow the project on Instagram @yarracityarts #100MCH