Published on Tuesday, 22 October 2024 at 1:40:27 PM
The Shire of Pingelly is seeking concepts from artists for roadside installations for the Safe Road Home project. This project, funded by the Road Safety Commission is the development of a trail of 20 captivating metal artworks creating a loop from Perth along the Brookton Highway via the York-Williams Road to Pingelly, then through to Wandering and out along the Albany Highway back to Perth. This not only provides a drive trail loop, but more importantly, provides a safety message all along the routes from Perth to Pingelly. These metal artworks every 15kms-20kms will serve as a reminder to check your fatigue levels and to take a break. This is important as 70% of road traffic accidents are related to fatigue.
The Safe Road Home project, aims not only to enhance road safety but also to celebrate the rich heritage of our communities. The sculptures will each tell a story related to Pingelly or Wandering, capturing the essence of our people, places, and past. A short summary of these stories are below:
- Numbats - Despite being the State’s animal emblem, there are only about 1,000 numbats left in the entire state. They are under threat through habitat loss and predation by foxes and cats.
- Pingelly Times - The Pingelly Times, a weekly newspaper follows the tradition of the Pingelly Leader originally established in 1906.
- Bushfire - Bushfires are a constant threat throughout the hot, dry summer months in Pingelly. Bushfire volunteers stand between these fires and the community.
- Round the Houses - This is a historic motorsport event first held in 1939. This event transformed the streets of Pingelly into a thrilling race track, where drivers showcased their skills and speed.
- ANZAC Memorial - Many young men from Pingelly and surrounding areas enlisted at the Pingelly Town Hall, driven by a sense of duty and patriotism. Now they are honoured in this same building.
- Steam Train - The railway connecting Perth to Albany had a water stop at the Avon Spring. This was then called ‘Pingeculling’, a Noongar name for ‘Watering Place’.
- House Moving - The original settlement of Moorumbine relocated about 10km to Pingelly between 1889 - 1898. Many simply moved their house on wagons to the new location.
- Falling Stones @ Pumphreys Bridge - In 1957, stones fell from the sky unto Aboriginal camp at Pumphreys Bridge. The stones fell for 5 days. This was independently verified and investigated. Stones did fall, but no one understands what caused it.
- Pingelly Tigers - This Footy team broke barriers that allowed no more than three Aboriginal players in any local team, paving the way for several of the game’s greats including Nicky Winmar, Leroy Jetta and Winston Abraham to take part.
- Travel in 1800’s - Travel between Perth and Pingelly in the 1800’s was mostly by wagon at a top speed of 15km per day. (These sculptures are at approximately 15km intervals.) The trip took several weeks.
- Boyagin Rock - According to Noongar legend, Boyagin Rock is the resting place of the Wagyl, a dreamtime water snake that wound itself around the rock to form it. It also has stunning views and a popular walking trail.
- Resurrection Plants - The Resurrection Plant ‘dies’ from lack of water and dehydrates to a crisp, only reviving again when water is available.
- Wandering - In 1859, early explorers found their lost horses wandering by a spring that is now called Horse Well. These horses inspired the name ‘Wandering’ for the area and then town.
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A 4-Dog Night - Locals have an expression “its 4-dog night” to describe how cold it can get in winter.
- Night Sky - Away from the bright lights of the city, Pingelly offers some of the clearest and most stunning views of the stars. It has to be seen to be believed.
- Farming Revolution - Thanks to the wonders of modern machinery, farms have grown 100 times the size over the last 100 years.
- Tulip Festival - Pingelly’s historic Tulip festival and parade has resprouted in the form of the FAM Festival, a dynamic celebration of Flowers, Arts, and Music.
- Wildflowers - Over 850 species of wildflowers bloom across this district in September each year.
- Sheep - Shearing has become a globally competitive sport. On April 15, 2024, Luke Vernon set a new world record by shearing 500 Merino ewes in just eight hours – more than 1 sheep per minute.
- Pingelly Christmas Village - This magical annual event that transforms the main street of Pingelly, into a festive wonderland for the whole month of December. It is a must for anyone that loves Christmas.
The Shire requests concepts for sculptures based on the above artist's briefs. Further details on these artist briefs are here.
Please note the following:
- It is anticipated that each sculpture will cost approximately $1,000 excluding GST.
- Each sculpture will be erected by the Shire by attaching it to a pole (similar to a sign pole) in the ground.
- Each sculpture must be significant in size so as to be easily visible from the road.
- Concepts may be submitted for one, several or all of the above artist's briefs.
- The concepts provided should be a sketch describing the proposed sculpture and may be hand drawn or computer generated.
Please submit your artistic concepts by email to admin@pingelly.wa.gov.au including acceptance of the price ($1,000 each) and photographs of any previous work. The concepts should be submitted by 4PM 11 November 2024
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