Community
3 October, 2024
Artistic flair at little park
MURALS have revitalised toilet blocks at ANZAC Park at Babinda.
The design by artist Matthew Thompson (Ling) features five portraits representing WWI, WWII, and Roman auxiliaries.
Painted in greyscale and sepia tones with splashes of blue and red, the mural references the Australian flag that Aussie servicemen fought under.
A female figure represents wartime volunteer support, depicting spotters for early warning air defence. Look closely to find a nod to the Rats of Tobruk with a small rat on a soldier’s shoulder.
Mr Thompson consulted the Babinda RSL Sub Branch on the design, which is a tribute to the community’s involvement in the first and second world wars and subsequent wars in the place that is Babinda's focus of remembrance –ANZAC Park.
The air raid shelter, which is also now a toilet block and can be seen in the background, cannot have a mural due to its heritage listing for being the 'most intact example of a public air raid shelter in north Queensland'.
