Late community midwife remembered with special artwork at Whangārei Hospital maternity unit

Family, friends and colleagues of Mary McEwen gathered for the unveiling of an artwork in her memory. Photo / Supplied

She helped deliver nearly 1000 babies and fiercely supported mothers and babies on their breastfeeding journeys.

Now well-regarded Northland midwife, the late Mary McEwen, has been remembered with a special artwork at Te Kotuku Maternity Unit at Whangārei Hospital.

A commissioned painting by Whangārei artist Mike Paora, known as "The Sketchy Fulla", depicts a Māori woman breastfeeding her pēpē (baby) and can now be admired at the entrance to Te Kotuku.

"This image strongly resonated with us as anyone who knew Mary will recall her absolute commitment to breastfeeding for all people for whom that is possible," director of midwifery and service manager maternity Sue Bree said.

"This artwork really captures the beauty of the breastfeeding bond," she said.

"It is an honour for us to be able to remember Mary in this way, and we are deeply grateful for the donation from Mary's loved ones that has enabled us to do so."

In addition, the team has purchased a large plant to be placed near the painting as a living memorial to their much-missed colleague.

Some of her former colleagues attended the unveiling at the maternity ward, which was known as McEwen's second home.

The Whangārei-born midwife started to work closely with families when she joined the Maungatapere playcentre as a worker over 30 years ago.

She then trained as a Karitane nurse and worked for Plunket for 10 years, before becoming a registered nurse with the Northland District Health Board in 1997.

Two years later, McEwen completed her midwifery training, delivering 950 babies in the course of her career.

McEwen was a strong advocate for breastfeeding and also worked as a lactation consultant.

She passed away in 2019.

"Mary's whānau understood her passion for providing very good care to women," Bree said. "Especially to young hapū māmā [pregnant mothers-to-be] where she felt she could really make a difference by helping them create great attachment and early parenting skills."