Bennetts Beach SLSC wall mural has been revived to original glory with vibrant colour Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - June 21, 2023 Before: Rusty screw-heads and worn-out paint detract from the mural’s beauty. OCEANSIDE art at Bennetts Beach, Hawks Nest, has been weathered by the elements, but vigilant volunteers from the Myall River Art Walk Group have intervened to bring life back to the special mural at the top of the hill. The wall of the Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Surf Life Savers building, next to the clubhouse, was first graced with artworks by several schoolchildren and senior citizens back in 2008. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “The artworks were first applied to plaster boards, then erected on the side of the storage shed at the SLSC,” explained Jeanette Hart from the Myall River Art Walk Group. “The weather and sea-spray has damaged some of these artworks over the years, with rusting screws, faded and missing paint, so the Art Walk Group decided to revamp them and bring them back to life with a fresh coat of paint.” Ms Hart and her fellow Art Group members John Hart, Bruce Murray and Sandra Bourke repainted the designs over the last two weekends, and sent out a special thanks to Robert, who lent the group the scaffolding necessary to make the restorations possible. The team were very specific in their application, maintaining all the designs and colours as closely as possible to the originals used. “There were many positive comments from passers-by about the refurbishment and the existing art, and about how bright and cheerful the wall now appears,” Ms Hart added. “A further coat of varnish has also been applied, to help preserve them longer, so hopefully they last more than fifteen years.” As the stunning finale of the Myall River Art Walk, the Bennetts Beach mural certainly deserves as much attention, culminating all the other pieces along the recently revamped route. By Thomas O’KEEFE Before: A big hole had formed in the middle of the mural, the surrounding panels badly faded. Before: Wind and salt-spray erodes art as much as nature. After: The hole is fixed, and all colours are enlivened with bright, fresh coats of the same shades. After: Original artists’ signatures have been preserved from 2008, and the whole, cheerful mural is now protected by varnish.
