A new artwork at Wonthaggi Hospital is helping raise awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection.
Art delivers life-saving message
October 1, 2026
Artist Zara Brown, second from left, with her artwork Check Your Boobs (Triptych), and her proud family, father Christian Brown, mother Alecia Brown with sister Ellie Chung Gon and grandmother Linda Witcombe. The artwork hangs proudly opposite the breast screening room at Wonthaggi Hospital.
Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Bayside Health Regional unveiled Check Your Boobs (Triptych) in its radiology department, using the art to encourage conversations about breast health and the role of screening in improving treatment outcomes.
Created by young Bass Coast artist Zara Brown, the artwork was installed to help create a culturally safe and welcoming environment for First Nations people accessing breast screening services at Wonthaggi Hospital.
Earlier this year, Zara exhibited her artwork at the 2026 NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition for First Nations Artists held by the Bass Coast/South Gippsland Reconciliation Group at Wonthaggi ArtSpace Gallery.
Zara is a Year 8 student at Mary MacKillop Catholic Regional College in Leongatha and a proud Yorta Yorta and Bunurong woman.
“I created this artwork to raise awareness of breast cancer and the importance of checking your boobs for breast cancer symptoms and being screened, because I’ve lost members of my family to breast cancer,” she said.
Aunty Professor Doseena Fergie OAM, Elder-in-Residence at Bayside Health Regional, said the art unveiling was a celebration of young people, a commemoration of those who have been affected by cancer and a callout to women and men, especially First Nations people, to participate in regular screening.
“I hope this artwork goes some way towards making our First Nations people feel culturally safe at Wonthaggi Hospital so they’ll access the wonderful breast screen service here. It may save their lives,” she said.
Bayside Health Regional offers a variety of breast care services, including screening by BreastScreen Victoria, McGrath Cancer Care Nurse Taryn Robinson at Wonthaggi Hospital, oncology, surgery and lymphoedema care.
We offer breast screening locally at Wonthaggi and Leongatha Memorial hospitals.