New murals at the Canterbury railway station made possible with an Andrews Labor Government grant have helped clean up the underpasses and will help prevent graffiti in the area.
Representing the Acting Police Minister Robin Scott, Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll officially unveiled the new murals today.
Canterbury Primary School students ran a design competition with the winning idea of ‘Maling Road shops and Theatre Place through the seasons’ becoming the basis for the final work created by the arts collective Pandarosa.
The students discussed their ideas with local traders and took advice from Victoria Police who presented an anti-graffiti class at their school as part of the project.
Renowned artist Hayden Dewar created the second mural with a series of scenes depicting a boy and an elf going on adventures among familiar landmarks in a fantasy Canterbury.
Illegal and offensive graffiti has had a marked impact on the underpasses, with vandals regularly targeting the area despite ongoing attempts by the City of Boroondara, the Maling Road Business Association and local traders’ to keep them clean.
A number of councils around Victoria have reported a significant drop in the level of illegal graffiti following the installation of murals, especially when the community has been actively involved.
The murals were made possible with a $25,000 Graffiti Prevention and Removal Grant provided by the Government, the City of Boroondara organising fresh landscaping to also help make the area safer.
With these improvements and locals feeling safer, the historic Maling Road shopping strip and tourist precinct is now even more vibrant.
Quotes attributable to Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Ben Carroll
“These murals will help deter unsightly graffiti, which will ensure everyone who uses these underpasses feels safer on their way to and from the station.”
“Along with the new landscaping, the murals have transformed the area, creating more welcoming connections from the train station to the historic Maling Road precinct.”
“This process has been a wonderful example of the community working together and the sense of ownership and pride the local students have in the mural is fantastic.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020