Blue Mountains Portraits, 2025: Do What Calls Your Heart

Mary Waterford, AM is a long-term resident, human rights and social justice activist based in the Blue Mountains. She is a  proud lesbian partner, mother & grandmother. She has a commitment to truth telling and justice for Indigenous communities. She is a Founding Member at Blue Mountains East Timor Sisters / Together for Timor and has coordinated many community activities, together with her partner Jude Finch and their colleagues. The group has been steadfastly focused on the social cohesion and development of Timor-Leste, resulting in strong friendships and connections to the Blue Mountains. Mary managed Katoomba Neighbourhood Centre in the early 90s, Mountains Community Resource Network in the 2000s and Western Sydney Community Forum in the 2010’s. She is an advocate for change in the LGBTQIA+ community. This portrait shows Mary walking across the Harbour Bridge during Sydney World Pride Bridge Walk, in 2023. Mary is also a key subject of a locally produced documentary by Frogmouth Films, currently in post production, titled: Unstoppable Change. This film celebrates the ways in which the personal connections between local people inspire and galvanise others to demand change. It documents a story of community, social justice and a movement for change through positive story telling.  The title of this portrait is inspired by the activist Joanna Macy: “You don’t need to do everything. Do what calls your heart; effective action comes from love. It is unstoppable, and it is enough.”