Community keen to commemorate 2019 bushfires with murals

10-05-2023

Members of the Crookwell Community provided their memories, insights and feedback at the “Paint the Town” session at the Crookwell Art Gallery on Friday 28 April.

In response to the bush fires of 2019, Southern Tablelands Arts (STA) has received a substantial grant through the Black Summer Bush fire Grants and Upper Lachlan Shire Council, and the community was invited to come and talk about the “Paint the Town” Street Art Festival coming to the Shire in Spring.

Deputy Mayor and liaison to Southern Tablelands Arts, Councillor Mandy McDonald said that the session was designed to hear about possible locations for new murals and ideas.

“I think it went very well,” she said.

“A number of people from the community came and visited us in the art gallery and it was surprising how most of the opinions offered were along the same lines.

“Hope and regeneration were recurring themes, and people wanted murals to depict bush life, bush land, and the flowers and plants of the bush.”

Councillor Mandy McDonald said the suggested locations for murals also featured a number of recurring suggestions, with further conversations required regarding the potential use of properties.

The meeting was attended and facilitated by STA Executive Director Rose Marin and Deputy Mayor Mandy McDonald with Mayor Pam Kensit, Acting General Manager Alex Waldron and Councillor Nathan McDonald also in attendance, which Deputy Mayor Mandy McDonald said was a testament to the significance Council has given to this project.

“This session was just the first part of the process,” she said.

“There will be a follow up session for community input at the Emily Chalker Building, Crookwell, and Tuena Memorial Hall on Friday 7 July where we hope to hear more from the community, hear their ideas and also their experiences at the time of the bushfire, whether they were directly impacted or not.

“There will also be a mental health specialist with trauma training on hand in case any of the discussions are triggering.”

Gunning and Dalton communities will have the opportunity to discuss ideas for their own murals on Friday 5 May at the Picture House Theatre.

Deputy Mayor McDonald said that, while the fires had been a horrifying period for many, the murals are intended to celebrate the efforts of the communities at that time.