Ngarrindjeri artist Lyn Lovegrove Niemz is fascinated by the different ways people interpret her works.

‘’I love to hear other people talking about them, giving their version about what they see and how it affects them,’’ she says.

‘’My inspiration comes from my own life events, my knowledge, and the love of being able to paint something that someone really enjoys.

‘’Each painting is different, and I develop in a different way too because of that influence.’’

Lyn hopes her latest piece, titled ‘Life of the Onkaparinga River’, will bring a sense of comfort to clients engaged with services based at Centacare’s new site at Noarlunga Centre.

Inspired by the “life force’’ of the waterway, the acrylic on canvas hangs in the entranceway and depicts Centacare as a central source of family connection and supports.

‘’I hope it makes them feel welcome; that they can walk in and be accepted for who they are, free of discrimination and judgement,’’ Lyn says.

RESTORE Intensive Family Services – South and Breathing Space, which works with women aged 25 and under who have experienced removal of a child or children from their care, are based at the southern site.

Breathing Space privileges the voice of young Aboriginal women to empower self-determination, address intergenerational trauma and promote the importance of culture.

The trauma-responsive therapeutic intervention – believed to be an Australian-first – delivers holistic, wraparound supports for women who have high complexity of need and present with a wide range of issues at intake.

‘’For Aboriginal people, it can be quite intimidating to walk into an organisation,’’ says Lyn, formerly an Aboriginal support worker at Centacare.

“Discrimination is out there but because of how society is today, it’s often hidden away.

‘’Art can give someone a sense of acceptance because they feel welcome in that place.’’