A Wheelers Hill mother has featured in photo shoots to lighten the gloom hovering over locked-down Melbourne.
Dheepa Awtani said she wanted to highlight the joy of new parenthood as well as supporting “local business in the best city in the world to live in”.
In one of the shoots, she posed with snakes, blue-tongued lizards and horses at Myuna Farm in Doveton.
A Mental Health Ambassador, Ms Awtani found the farm animals’ lives in a “secure yet capsuled environment” was symbolic.
She said it was symbolic of the missed childrens’ birthday parties during lockdown.
Especially missed were her double-vaxxed parents and parents-in-law unable to visit from overseas due to Covid restrictions.
“They could not come over to be in our fragile parenthood journey.
“Grandkids have missed their presence, we couldn’t celebrate our renewal of 10th anniversary vows and our elder daughter Deleena’s birthday for the second year in a row because of continued lockdown.”
She also celebrated parenthood with her husband Dixit and her then-unborn daughter Deanna in iconic parts of Melbourne’s CBD such as Princess Theatre, Parliament steps, Flinders Street station and Hosier Lane.
The aim was to reinforce Melbourne as the best city to live in the world, to support local photographers and “bring a smile back to all aspiring parents”.
“I really hope it brings the positivity that we as a city need today.”
