Canberra artist Mick Ashley perfectly captured the mood when last summer he released an image of Pooh Bear thanking firefighters heading back up a bushfire-scarred Kings Highway.
He has done it again, in another stunning tribute to our frontline workers, this time during the coronavirus pandemic.
His poignant artwork, The Road Ahead, shows a firefighter passing the baton of hope to a doctor or nurse, one hero replaced by another.
The image is going viral.
"No pun intended," Mick said.
The Canberra artist and public servant wanted to recognise the efforts of those fighting the pandemic, but also remember the contribution of the emergency services just a few short months ago during the devastating bushfires.
"I was concerned that the bushfire relief and those affected may have been forgotten as we go from one headline to another," he said.
"Instead I viewed this as an opportunity to see how the baton of hope can be passed on from one frontline worker to the next.
"Perhaps 2020 should be viewed at positively, that it highlights the value and importance of all frontline workers. That 2020 should be the 'unprecedented' year of the frontline worker."
Mick's image from the bushfires, showing Pooh, from Pooh Bear's Corner on the Kings Highway, thanking the firefighters, was embraced by people not only across Canberra, but across the nation.
The baton of hope image is striking a similar chord.
"This image is going further than even the Pooh's Corner image. Got a call from friends in Germany and England who have seen this doing the rounds," Mick said.
To order online for the frontline worker print, go to mickashley.com.au/shop/
