Vida, the abandoned

This is Vida. I met her outside the Canberra Centre in the middle of winter. She sat on the cold cement and had no shoes. She was destitute and so young. I was sure she was Aboriginal but didn’t like to ask. My heart went out to her. After taking the photographs, I said goodbye. I walked away feeling that I had deserted her and I had. On my way home I had to remind myself that my role was as an artist recording the event, not as a social worker solving the problem. It’s a harsh world.