A COMMUNITY asset once camouflaged alongside a Mount Gambier school and kindergarten is now clearly visible thanks to a colourful and meaningful mural designed by its users.
Established over four years ago, the Melaleuca Community Hub has grown into a community-oriented meeting space for residents living in the city’s eastern residential areas.
The hub received a $10,000 State Government boost last year to give it an “aesthetically” presence on the site.
Melaleuca Park Primary School principal Lynette Corletto said the artistic project aimed to make the space more welcoming to the community.
“The site is basically an annex to a kindergarten which sits on site to a school, so it was not very obvious to people as to what it was,” Ms Corletto said.
“We wanted to make it stand out and let people know it is there.
“We also wanted the space to feel comfortable to help it grow and attract people to it.”
Over the past two years, Mount Gambier Children’s Centre community development coordinator Fiona Pulford has led strategic planning sessions with the core hub representatives.
Ms Pulford said three brainstorming sessions had been used to develop goals for the community hub over the next five years.
“Although I am based in Mulga Street, my job encompasses the whole of Mount Gambier,” she said.
“We are very much aware when considering the transport system, if you live on Mount Gambier’s eastern side it can prove difficult to travel to the west.
“The idea was to provide a space which was community-orientated and where families already felt connected and this is the result.”
With residents pitching in ideas, the hub is now a central ground for various playgroups – supported by Centacare, a Foodbank drop-off site, coffee and chat sessions and much more.
Artsparks Healing & Arts art therapy facilitator Deb Rogers is the brains behind the mural design, helping mould residents’ ideas into one piece of art.
Ms Rogers has worked with the hub since 2014, helping to coordinate I Am Women workshops, while also forming strong connections with Melaleuca Kindergarten and Grant High School.
“During an art journal class, the core group helped create drawing designs for me to collate into a whole mural,” she said.
“I personally think the drawings are much better than the painting.
“I watched the group, who were first reluctant, then take ownership of the project.
“Although we were supposed to finish this in Term 1, things have not gone to plan but it will hopefully be completed soon.”
Ms Rogers said her role had changed from an artist to a facilitator over time.
“I have never worked this big before so it ended up being a lot harder than I thought it would be,” she said.
“Initially there were 10 people which were committed to helping me complete the artwork so I thought we would be able to pump it out.
“Although job opportunities, health issues and other life problems decided to take place.”
Ms Rogers said the design of the nature-themed mural represented Mount Gambier with a volcano, the Blue Lake, the coastline and various Aboriginal themes.
“Even the ones who were not confident painting painted the doors,” she said.
“I have had children in here who are not old enough for kindergarten grab paintbrushes and pretend they are painting.
“It has become quite popular in the community and you can certainly see where the hub is now.”
