By Corey Everitt
Drama continues around the proposed Lang Lang public artwork with the council supposedly proposing a mural with minority support from the community.
The Gazette has heard that through consultation the council is now backing a mural artwork with ‘40 percent’ support from the community.
This is said to be in contrast to the first proposal made several years ago – a statue honouring the Lang Lang Rodeo – which received ‘70 percent’ support at the time.
“We didn’t really know what to make of this, the council wasted no time in hijacking the project,” local Cynthia Jane said.
“A mural will be cheaper, the problem is it will have to be redone every few years.
“Only 40 percent apparently support the mural, yet back when the Rotary Club had it about 70 percent wanted it to go ahead.”
The public art project has been a years-long process started by the Kooweerup-Lang Lang Rotary Club in 2019.
With advice from the Lang Lang Pastoral, Agricultural & Horticultural Association, the proposal emerged for a piece dedicated to the long history of the Lang Lang Rodeo within Dick Jones Reserve – the idea was to commission a statue of a rearing horse.
Yet through the years of securing funding and planning for the artwork, at some point Cardinia Shire Council took full direction of the project.
As reported by locals last November, the council supposedly took the project beyond what was expected to an alleged ‘$60,000 – $80,000’ budget which instigated community concerns.
In response, the council scrapped the idea and went back to square one.
Today it’s understood the council has come to the position of a mural after conducting a new consultation period.
However, confusion still remains about whether this is truly the path set out from the community.
The Lang Lang District Business & Community Group will be holding their monthly meeting next week where they will decide whether to support further clarification.
If agreed on, they will ask the community precisely if they favour a statue or a mural.
“Historically the surveys were much more in favour of having a horse statue, this process will be about whether that is the case,” president of the group, Peter Smith said.
“It isn’t certain whether the feeling is that the Lang Lang rodeo and its history would be better reflected with a statue.”
Recently, the Lang Lang Public Art project received a $50,000 commitment from the State Government’s Tiny Towns Fund.
