Siblings Marilyn, Marlene and Kelvin Kong grew up in Port Stephens, New South Wales. Worimi people, they were inspired to become doctors by their mother, Grace Kinsella, who was one of the first Indigenous registered nurses in Australia. Twins Marlene and Marilyn were the University of Sydney's first Indigenous graduates in medicine; and their younger brother Kelvin graduated from the University of NSW to become Australia's first Indigenous surgeon. After qualifying as a general practitioner, Marlene worked with Médecins Sans Frontières in South Sudan and Sierra Leone and has since returned to general practice. Marilyn spent twelve months with Australian Volunteers Abroad in Papua New Guinea, which inspired her to become an obstetrician and gynaecologist. She is also chair of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Health Committee. Kelvin chose to specialise in ear, nose and throat surgery and works at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital. He visits Broome each year to perform specialist consultations and surgery for remote communities in the Kimberley.
Penny Tweedie spent a year travelling around Australia in 2000 photographing and interviewing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in various spheres. The project resulted in her 2001 book Indigenous Australia: Standing Strong, which included this portrait of the Kong siblings on Country at Port Stephens.
Gift of the artist 2004
© Estate of Penny Tweedie
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