Jenani Therone, an artist and author from Melbourne, created a fine art photography book called 'Of Service' by capturing living portraits of 101 veterans across Australia.
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Jenani Therone has embarked on a deeply personal journey to humanise and individualise veterans.
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Her mission was to create living portraits of them in a context that resonated with their experiences and their stories.
The result was the fine art photography book, Of Service.
Ms Therone is an artist and author based in Melbourne who, 10 years ago, transitioned from the healthcare industry to become a fine-art photographer.
“My journey is an interesting one because it blends the worlds of healthcare and the arts,” Ms Therone said.
“Because for over a decade, I served in the community as a dietitian before embracing my passion for photography and taking that path.
“Because of that background in healthcare, my understanding of vulnerability, resilience and healing is now at the heart of my work.
“I love capturing the stories that demand to be told, that are primarily untold, like stories of hope, struggle and survival.”
Ms Therone embarked on a three-and-a-half-year journey, travelling 36,000km across Australia, speaking to 200 veterans, then meeting 150 in person before publishing 101 stories in the book.
The stories are of people's experiences and span from a 102-year-old World War II veteran to a 27-year-old Afghanistan veteran.
Meet Jenani Therone at Echuca Library, on Friday, November 8.
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Her initiative intended to contribute towards the prevention of veteran suicide and suicide in general and inspire the community at large through not only selfless service and sacrifice but also the life after service of these veterans.
“Veterans are individuals, fellow citizens, part of our community,” Ms Therone said.
“And they are in our community after service, when they have transitioned into the community.
“So I felt that we are not talking about that, that they are people within our community and most of us don’t even know if they have served.
“The book is about humanising them, focusing on life after service.”
Meet Jenani Therone at Echuca Library, on Friday, November 8 at 2pm.
Bookings are preferred on 5481 2400 or at www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/library
If this article has raised any concerns for you, you can contact Lifeline at 131 114.
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