The tiredness of his face is accentuated by the seriousness of his officer’s uniform. The medals are well aligned to the right. On the left, the arm is bare and a baby is drinking from the breast.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
In June, the Australian War Memorial presented an award to The promotiona painting of a retired soldier depicting an officer breastfeeding.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
The promotion by Anneke Jamieson
“I served for 20 years and I was a mother for 10 of those years,” says the author of the painting, Anneke Jamieson, joined in Australia. “My career has followed a different path than I had imagined before having children. When I returned to work after my first birth, I was a very different person and officer. »
The painting was chosen unanimously by the jury for this prize rewarding artistic productions by veterans. “It’s a very powerful image,” says Laura Webster, Artistic Director of the War Memorial. We talk a lot about the challenges of motherhood for professionals, about the balance between work and family life. But it’s even more striking when it’s a soldier. It means a lot to me, because I myself have 5-year-old twins. »
The Biggest Impacts Of Motherhood On Ms. Careerme Jamieson were reducing the time she was then able to devote to her work and to her soldiers.
The army is a lifestyle choice. When you’re an officer, you always have to be there for your men. When we work at HQ, we stop working when a task is completed. But when you have children, you have to limit your investment in work to reserve an impossible block of time for them.
Anneke Jamieson, author of the painting
After returning to work 10 years ago, she chose a position at headquarters (HQ). “I was lucky, I was able to take seven months of maternity leave, and I could drop off my baby at 6:30 a.m. at a friend who took our children to daycare. But when I had to leave at 4:30 p.m., I felt very guilty towards my colleagues who stayed until 6 p.m., 7 p.m. or later. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNEKE JAMIESON
Anneke Jamieson
For her two other children, Mrs.me Jamieson took a year off maternity leave and after her last, who is 4, she returned to work three days a week.
Paternity
Doesn’t this dilemma also exist for fathers? “Before our first baby, my husband and I had agreed that we would alternate demanding positions, to advance our two careers. But whenever it was my turn to go back to the front, I let my husband do it and chose a position that allowed me to spend more time with my children. »
Was she in a war zone? “I had a few posts in Afghanistan before my first baby, but not since. My husband has had postings in Afghanistan since, however. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANNEKE JAMIESON
Anneke Jamieson when she was an officer in the army
Her husband is still in the army and she is dedicated to her art. She started painting after the birth of her last child. Her model for the painting was a friend who isn’t in the military, to avoid gossip.
“When I read my artist statement in front of my painting, the day before the opening, I started crying, says Mme Jamieson. Even though I have made peace with motherhood, I still have a twinge in my heart thinking about the military career I dreamed of. »
Invisible work
When The Press asked her opinion on Anneke Jamieson’s painting, Raphaëlle Petitjean thought of the “invisible work” of women. “This is even more true in environments traditionally reserved for men, such as the army, says the director of the Mouvement Allaitement du Québec. A woman who becomes a mother does not cease to be a woman, it is something added. »
Breastfeeding clothes and rooms in Canada
PHOTO FROM CANADIAN ARMY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
An example of a Canadian Army approved nursing sweater
Raphaelle Petitjean pointed out to The Press two recent announcements from the Canadian Army. Last year, the Ministry of Defense decreed that each commander must create at least one breastfeeding room per group of 400 employees, so that mothers can express their milk comfortably. And nursing tops, which feature slits under the breasts so you can pump milk without taking off your top like in Anneke Jamieson’s painting, have also been military-approved.
Learn more
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- 16%
- Proportion of women in the Canadian military
source: statistics canada
- 20%
- Proportion of women among Canadian army officers
source: statistics canada