“The land is the link between culture, identity, spirituality, family and the creator.”

That’s the powerful message from Indigenous artist Dixon Patten in a piece of art that has been installed at Metro Trains’ head office and Academy to celebrate NAIDOC Week.

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme – Always Was, Always Will Be – recognises that First Nations peoples have occupied and cared for this continent for more than 65,000 years.

This is especially important to Metro as the rail network operates on Aboriginal land, and train services are used by First Nations peoples in Melbourne.

This NAIDOC Week reinforces Metro’s reconciliation commitments with a strong focus on establishing partnerships, and making a mutually-beneficial, sustained contribution to reconciliation.

Last year Metro reached out to artist Dixon Patten – a proud Yorta Yorta and Gunnai man who was born and raised in Melbourne – to capture and illustrate the operator’s commitment to reconciliation.

The artwork is called Barring – which means “Journey” in the Woi Wurrung language.