A powerful and generous changemaker for First Nations people

PATRICE ‘Muthaymiles’ Mahoney was honoured by the State of Victoria and inducted into the Aboriginal Honour Roll 2022 recently.

“Definitely an overwhelming sense of appreciation,” Patrice smiled upon her induction.

“The honour is also recognition I can bring into my life to give me strength, will nurture and support me in the into the future.”

Born in Canberra, Patrice is a proud mother and grandmother, her connections to family and place reflect her multicultural connections from the Anaiwan Nation (NSW), Malta, France, Ireland and England.

She grew up in Armidale (NSW) before moving to Victoria — first to Lakes Entrance (Gunaikurnai Country), and then to the Bass Coast region (Bunurong Country), where she has lived for over 20 years.

Patrice is a powerful advocate for Aboriginal people and their cultures, and a talented, prolific artist who believes art and education are the basis of identity, self-determination and leadership. 

She holds a Graduate Diploma (Teaching), Bachelor of Arts (Media Art and Design), Advanced Diploma (Business Management) and is currently undertaking a Master of Fine Art.

She is profoundly influenced by a sense of space, place, the environment, visual art and culture; and takes great inspiration from the natural environment where she lives.

When Patrice was 21 years old, she closed her eyes and put her finger on a map. It landed in the sea just off Lakes Entrance, so she moved there with her two children, a foster child and two dogs. Later, she met a man whose family lived in Wonthaggi, so they moved there in 1999 with three children in tow.

Patrice found Wonthaggi depressingly monocultural. She observed how Aboriginal people were invisible in the region, compared with her hometown.

“I’d grown up in Armidale, where there was a university, and the community was a melting pot. Wonthaggi felt like the deep south!”

She was confronted by her perception that the Bass Coast community had minimal knowledge or understanding of the Aboriginal history of the area, and limited will to learn about — let alone celebrate local Aboriginal communities.

When Patrice’s eldest son was severely bullied at a local primary school for the colour of his skin, she became even more determined to educate the community and, in turn, break down negative stereotypes. 

She wanted to help her children not experience racism, and also didn’t want Aboriginal children to grow up with anger towards non-Aboriginal people as a consequence of being treated badly.

Convincing people that these issues mattered was a big challenge. But Patrice persevered in the face of sometimes fierce resistance to achieve things most of us now take for granted.

Patrice has dedicated her life to advancing recognition for Aboriginal people, instigating NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week celebrations and Sorry Day commemorations; and she is a key member of the Bass Coast South Gippsland Reconciliation Group and founding member of the Bass Coast Reconciliation Network.

Patrice has worked with Phillip Island Nature Parks for over a decade, and Bass Coast Health and Westernport Water to establish and implement their Reconciliation Action Plans.

She has also been a Director at Baluk Arts, a non-profit centre representing Aboriginal artists, and served on several boards and committees for Aboriginal health, education and justice organisations. In 2021, Patrice became the first Aboriginal board member of Phillip Island Nature Parks.

Patrice’s many voluntary advocacy roles have been complemented by other employed positions. 

She particularly enjoys cultural sessions with school children, where she finds genuine rewards in sharing her professional skills and knowledge.

“Inclusion and education by active experience and participation are key to healthy shared spaces in organisations and contemporary landscapes,” Patrice added.

Patrice challenges current relationships between Aboriginal people and the broader community in her creative work. Her practice includes painting, weaving, assembling found objects, and printmaking.

Creating her work by using a multidisciplinary approach that includes expanding her knowledge through traditional ways of learning, winanag-li (deep listening) from an Aboriginal perspective, and her multicultural heritage.

Her work has been exhibited across Victoria for over 25 years in numerous solo exhibitions and in 2014, Patrice was bestowed the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards Federation University Acquisitive Award.

Group shows include the 2015 International Print Exchange (Colorado, USA) and the Koorie Art Show (Koorie Heritage Trust); with her works found in private and public collections in Victoria, NSW, and at Boulder University in Colorado, USA.

Patrice has completed many collaborative works including Fun in the Water (The Playground Mob led by Patrice Mahoney, Casey Aboriginal Gathering Place Playgroup), which was shortlisted for the 2018 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards (Indigenous Children category), Who is Your Mob? for the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and publications in language for Dandenong Best Start and HIPPY Early Learning programs.

In 2020, Patrice was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the Indigenous community.