Portraits2026

Valerie Browning

Portraits of Valerie Browning AM, made over two sessions while she was visiting Sydney.

An Australian nurse, Valerie has lived and worked among the Afar people of north-eastern Ethiopia for more than three decades. In 1989 she co-founded the Afar Pastoral Development Association with her husband, Ismael Ali Gardo. The Barbara May Foundation helps fund its work, including the Barbara May Maternity Hospital in Mille, the region’s first maternity hospital.

About Valerie ↗

Organisation: Barbara May Foundation
Location: Sydney
Photography + Video: Justin McLean

PortraitsTwo sessions, Sydney 2026

Close studio portrait of Valerie in a red and gold shawl, looking straight to camera

Studio portrait of Valerie in a red shawl against a dark green backdrop

Valerie in a red shawl, seated, a slight smile, against a dark green backdrop

Valerie Browning in a pink embroidered shawl, hands clasped, among tall trees

Valerie looks off to the side in soft forest light, hands folded over her shawl

Valerie seated on a bentwood chair in the forest, one hand raised to her head

Full-length portrait of Valerie in a striped skirt and pink shawl, standing in the forest, on film

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