<
https://theconversation.com/first-nations-superhero-condoman-was-a-world-leader-in-hiv-prevention-aunty-gracelyn-smallwood-made-it-happen-230868>
"When HIV arrived on Australian shores in the early 1980s, politicians and
healthcare workers worried the virus would run rampant in remote Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities. This didn’t happen – thanks to highly
successful health promotion campaigns and public health programs rolled out
around the country by Aboriginal-controlled medical services, from 1987.
The most famous of these was “Condoman”, the First Nations superhero whose
safe-sex directive “Don’t be shame, be game: Use condoms!” captured hearts and
minds across the continent.
Aunty Gracelyn Smallwood, a proud Birrigubba, Kalkadoon and South-Sea Islander
woman and registered nurse/midwife, was central to this public health response,
working alongside her colleague and friend Phillip Mills and other health
workers throughout the state.
Her advocacy took her from her hometown of Townsville all the way to the
highest offices of Australia’s HIV and AIDS response, where she played a part
in shaping a world-leading approach to the virus."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
