Once upon a time Anzac Lane was one of the mean streets of the Campbelltown CBD.
The little laneway – it’s only a couple of hundred metres long – runs from Lithgow Street and joins Carberry Lane in front of Campbelltown RSL.
As of today, Anzac Lane is also Campbelltown’s newest alfresco art gallery.
The wall of the building that used to be Campbelltown RSL – now the offices of NSW Family and Community Services – is adorned by the images of 10 people who made a significant contribution to the local community.
Deputy mayor Meg Oates did the honours at the “reveal’’ of the 10 Faces of Campbelltown along Anzac Lane this afternoon before a very large gathering in Lithgow Street.
Cr Oates – whose own face would not have been out of place up on the Anzac Lane wall – said the community had sent council a clear message they wanted a more vibrant central business district in Campbelltown.
“This project, 10 Faces of Campbelltown, is a response to the call by the community,’’ Cr Oates said.
One of those 10 Faces, former Magpies and Wests Tigers rugby league star John Skandalis, said he was humbled by the honour of having his image put up with nine other great community contributors.
“It is a tremendous honour to be included,’’ Skandalis told the South West Voice in Macarthur.
“And this is a wonderful initiative, to have artworks up in a building in a Campbelltown street,’’ he said.
Some of the subjects included people who have passed away, such as former mayor Gordon Fetterplace, solicitor John Marsden, businessman Ron Moore and community workers Ron McDonald.
The list includes volunteer Sandra McDonald, chemist David Wilson, Annemarie Hennessy, Dr Rob Close and Indigenous elder Uncle Ivan Wellington, who opened proceedings with a welcome to country speech.
Uncle Ivan also completed proceedings with a smoking ceremony while walking the length of the laneway.
He was followed by all those present, including the two artists who were involved in the project, Marikit Santiago and Phu Nguyen.
Ms Santiago, who comes from Parramatta, coordinated the project, while street artist Phu, who currently calls Glenfield home, was responsible for the final installation on the wall of the building.
Ms Santiago said the final result was the work of many, including children across Campbelltown.
“We conducted a series of workshops, with participants from the Campbelltown community, we gave them a bit of information on each of the 10 subjects, including pictures, and we asked them to respond to that with a drawing,’’ Ms Santiago said.
“A lot of them were children, as workshops were run during school holidays in April, and others were disadvantaged kids, including Youth off the Streets and the Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre in Airds,
“The whole work is representative of the Campbelltown community,’’ she said.
“The work is made by them – I facilitated it – but really I wanted it to represent the community’s work.’’
Great initiative!
Danielle Quig well she kept that quiet!! We will have to go for a walk