Tooborac mural showcases region

A COLOURFUL new mural has transformed the toilet block at the Tooborac Recreation Reserve.

The public artwork features a kangaroo, an eastern rosella and a regent Honeyeater set against a backdrop of native plants and the large boulders common to the area.

Completed in November, it was officially launched last Friday.

Artist, Eric Sesto, grew up in Tooborac and returned during the COVID pandemic.

He said he was initially inspired to paint the mural around three years ago.

“I had it in mind for quite some time,” he said. “I wanted to paint something very iconic for Tooborac.

“When I was a kid in Tooborac, I was disconnected from the world of art.

“The only paintings I had seen were at my grandma’s house and in the studio of one artist who lived in the town.

“I felt strongly that Tooborac deserved some art and that the youth who grew up there should be exposed to paintings.

“I have painted artworks in six countries now and it seemed strange that I had not painted anything in my hometown.

“No matter where I go in the world, Tooborac’s undulating landscape, that is idyllic as it is rough, is something I fall in love with again and again and I really wanted to capture that.”

Tooborac Recreation Reserve and Mechanics Hall committee of management chair Belinda Hagan said Sesto approached them in early 2022.

“Then we involved the Shire and had a consultation where Eric put some ideas together,” she said. “We put those out to the community to voice their opinion and also to understand what other designs they wanted.

“It all just really all came together and next minute Eric was there painting, we did wait till the weather got better though.”

The mural is on the side of the toilet block at the rear of the hall and faces the Tooborac Primary School oval.

Sesto found he often had an audience watching him at work.

“I was so surprised by the response from the school and mind blown by the kids interest every lunchtime,” he said. “They all wrote me thank you letters when I had finished.”

Sesto had a special message for the Tooborac students at the launch.

“I was here for 12 days and each day was 10 hours,” he said. “It didn’t happen by magic, it just took patience.”

Mitchell Shire councillor and Tooborac district resident Bill Chisholm said the new mural was a great example of neighbourhood spirit in action.

“This is what it means to be in a community that sticks together and works together,” he said. “It’s definitely a great icon for the community.”

Ms Hagan and Sesto both spoke about the possibility of another mural in the future.

“The biggest question from the community when I was doing it was, ‘What will you do on the other side?’,” Sesto said.