Marine Drive Facilities Mural begins as collaborative effort

An artistic concept design, featuring pelicans and yellow-tailed black cockatoos with Banksias. Photo: supplied.

A MEGA community collaboration started the new mural upon the walls of the public toilet block across from the Tea Gardens Police Station on Marine Drive on Sunday, 3 September.

Three major community groups: the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association (HNTGPA), the Myall River Art Walk Group, and the Worimi Aboriginal Reference Group, assembled to roll out the paint brushes and pans to apply the undercoat on both the Ladies and Gents blocks.

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Members from each group have donated their time and energy to this project leading up to this day, too.

The Worimi Reference Group had received initial Council approval a while ago, and the Art Walk Group, with the close assistance of the HNTGPA, has helped turn talk into reality.

While passers-by witnessed a seemingly spontaneous showing of volunteer effort, the project started in earnest days earlier, with HNTGPA garden gurus trimming and clearing the vegetation that had overgrown the privacy screen, and rigorously scrubbed both blocks inside and out, noting it as a “substantial project” upon a façade that has not seen much attention of late.

Many local hands made light work, proving that it really is as easy as picking up a brush or roller and slapping some of the custom-blended ‘Myall Blue’ paint on the outside walls.

In days to come, river-walkers will witness the transposition and stencilling of the pre-approved imagery, first designed by Chez Rands, including pelicans and Banksias, with a full-wall feature Black Cockatoo, to be done by Karuah artist and Worimi Reference Group member Clare McClennan.

“The three groups, after much collaboration on design and getting approvals, came up with a final design that all were happy with, and received MidCoast Council’s final approval, too,” Jeanette Hart, of the Art Walk Group, told NOTA.

“The mural is about doing something for the community to enjoy, representative of the area, embracing our special environment here, collaborating and bringing the community together.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE

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