Surprise woollen work keeps PM safe

AN unknown artist briefly brought some textural humour to the Prime Ministers’ Avenue at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens last week.

The bust of Australia’s 27th PM, Julia Gillard temporarily had some quirky personal protective equipment in the form of a vibrant, snuggly crocheted face mask. With a similar look to a ‘granny square’ or half a 1970s bikini top, Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens have theorised the mask’s maker could also be linked to local “yarn bombers.”