Home is where the art is

By Lachlan Ellis

New artwork has been put up in a Moorabool caravan park, and its creator says she hopes to enhance the sense of community in the park.

Lou Callow’s vibrant artwork now adorns trees at the Ballan Caravan Park, which she provided to help residents feel a sense of belonging, and pride in where they live.

“Over many years, a small group of artists have developed a tradition of decorating street trees. Because people responded to those really positively, we kept that going. Winter can be so bleak in Ballan, so colour really lifts people’s spirits,” Ms Callow told the Moorabool News.

“I find it a joyful thing to do. It’s about community, and here in the caravan park, I just went ‘wow, it’s a new canvas’. When I was stitching them on the trees, people came out and said thank you. That makes you feel really nice, and what you’re doing is valid and it’s worthwhile. It’s so important that this is a place where people feel safe, and they feel they’re cared about.”

Designs on the trees include cockatoos – one of Ms Callow’s favourite animals – a kangaroo with sunglasses, and a ‘Welcome Happy Campers’ sign.

“I like to work anonymously…it’s a bit harder now, but I won’t stop doing them. I’ve already got some ideas for next year’s Autumn Festival,” she said.

Caretaker at the Ballan Caravan Park, Helen Tatchell, thanked Ms Callow for her generosity, and said the new art would complement ongoing works to improve the park.

“Lou’s work is amazing; I said the park could make a donation, but it was a typical Lou response…she said, ‘this is just my contribution to the community’. The colour of the banners brighten up what is quite bleak here in winter ,” Ms Tatchell said.

“We’ve been in the process in the past four and a half months of cleaning the place up and making it a bit nicer and safer, like a home, rather than a caravan park.

“Colour ignites happiness. How pleasant for residents and tourists to come in and the first thing they see is colour? This is just the beginning – we have painting jobs we’re going to be doing with more colour. There’s plenty of blank canvases around here,” she said.

While the trees on which Ms Callow’s brilliant art sits have recently been trimmed by arborists, they’re expected to provide welcome shade for residents again over spring and summer.

The Ballan Caravan Park is located at 45 Jopling Street, and offers permanent short-term stays, as well as powered and unpowered sites with cabins available for tourists and workers.