PHOTOGRAPHY^ BY^ AGNSW/JENNI^ CARTER;^TWITTER/@SAMGOON;^INSTAGRAM/MATMAITLAND;^GETTY^ IMAGES.^ ILLUSTRATION^ BY^ RUBY^ JONES.On March 15, when news broke that
50 people had been tragically killed
in a massacre at two mosques in
Christchurch, Ruby Jones picked up her
pen. The 25-year-old New Zealander,
who illustrates part-time, felt pain, grief
and above all disbelief. “All I wanted to
do in that moment was reach out and
hug anyone and everyone who was
hurting,” she says. “I began to thinkabout who was targeted, and how so
many of them would have come to
New Zealand in search of peace.” Her
illustration, which depicts two women
embracing – one wearing a hijab – soon
went viral on Instagram and became
a unifying symbol at vigils across the
globe. It even resonated with the editor
of Time, who commissioned Jones to
create an image for the magazine’s nextcover. In this climate of sorrow and
anger, Jones is humbled that her
work is quite literally drawing people
together. “After tragedy, people often
don’t know how to express themselves,
so someone else’s depiction of a
moment can help them,” she says.
“I think it’s really powerful when
even the simplest of images can let
people know that they’re not alone.”DRAWN TOGETHER
AUSTRALIA
PORTRAIT
OF A LADY
NEW ZEALANDSometimes a bad-news story can bring
about the best response. A now-famous
action shot of AFLW player Tayla Harris
(right) made headlines after it received
a barrage of disgusting derogatory
comments online. But the story
didn’t end there.
Appalled by the trolls, the football
community and wider public paid tribute
to the Carlton forward by re-creating the
image as part of the #TaylaKickChallenge.
Young girls, young boys, strong women
and grown men all put on their boots
and showed off their kicking prowess –
the more dynamic and airborne
the better – on social media.
As Harris explained, the original
photograph by Michael Willson portrayed
her in her place of work. “That’s how
I kick,” she said simply. “I thought it was
a cool photo. I am proud of myself
because the reason I can do it is that
I’ve put so much time, money and
effort into my body.”
Importantly, the image could
become Harris’ legacy, and work to
normalise the freakish skills and incredible
athleticism of women on the footy field.AUSTRALIA
KICK LIKE A GIRL
Living past 100 is a feat many aspire to,
but for Eileen Kramer, life in the triple
digits is boring unless a new challenge
is involved. Having recently taken up
painting, the 104-year-old Sydney woman
has entered her self-portrait into this
month’s Archibald Prize, determined to
show age is no barrier to achievement.
“O-L-D. Take it out of the dictionary,”
quipped Kramer, who is still a dancer and
choreographer. “None of us are Picasso or
Matisse, just do it if it makes you happy.”
Kramer, who has lived longer than
the competition’s 98-year history, said
she is hopeful her portrait might be hung.
“It’s just a little old painting. I don’t expect
anything, but it’s very exciting at the
same time.” As for her secret to a long
and prosperous life? “I’m creative!”