Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

VAN MANEN (—) (): Over the weekend the Park Ridge community marked the 50th anniversary of the Park Ridge water tower, with the unveiling of a new Anzac mural, which now adorns the iconic structure along the Mount Lindesay Highway. The piece was entitled Reflection under the Southern Stars and depicts an Anzac soldier and nurse, who are both reflecting on their service to the country under our national flag.

The location of the water tower has its own special place in our Anzac history, with Park Ridge being home to a couple of airfields during the Second World War. The airstrips ran along what is now Chambers Flat Road, cutting through to Park Ridge Road. Whilst developments are now occurring in that area, you can still see the airfields there, being quickly developed during the time in response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour and the entry into the Pacific theatre.

A stunning piece, the mural was created by artists Laing Rahner and Paul Turnbull and took 10 weeks to complete. It was a delight to see children joining in to help cut the ribbon for the mural's opening. The unveiling was a terrific event, which included performances from young local artists Nate and Jasmine from Assorted Grains, who entertained the crowd with a range of Australian songs. I was honoured to speak on the day and was joined by local councillor Jacob Heremaia and also Aunty Betty, one of our local Indigenous elders. Congratulations to everyone involved.