New Art Installed at Chirnside Park
Lifestyle
Blogged by: Chirnside Park 16 Mar 2018

Here at Chirnside Park, we're pleased to announce the installation of two new pieces of art in our centre. They are pieces that pay tribute to our heritage and hold real significance for our community, and we hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.


CP statue
 


David Symes


Cast in bronze, a newspaper in hand, sits David Syme. This local lived many lifetimes at the dawn of the twentieth century, first as a prospector during the gold rush, later as a dairy farmer and – most notably – as the influential proprietor and editor of The Age newspaper for half a century.

Syme had a passion for agriculture and the family’s properties in the Yarra Valley – Dalry, Killara and Tarrawarra – provided a welcome rural escape from his busy career, but were difficult to reach from town. Through Syme’s campaigning the metropolitan train line, which then only reached Hawthorn, was extended to Lilydale, and then to Warburton. This access helped establish the area’s townships and tourism industries and allowed the region’s farmers and timber suppliers to expand their businesses.

Created by Gillie and Marc, Australian artists renowned for contemporary public sculpture, it’s a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man who connected Melbourne to the Yarra Valley and whose legacy in publishing lives on today.

jersey cow
 


Jersey Cow (Twilight King)


A cow might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chirnside Park, but it’s an integral part of our region’s heritage. Twilight King – produced by global art project Cow Parade – is a homage to our namesake, George Chirnside, and the name of one of his most famous and successful jersey sires.

The Chirnsides were one of the founding families of the Australian agricultural industry; they managed over 100,000 hectares of Victorian farmland, built cattle stations and bred everything from merino sheep to Herefords and thoroughbred horses.

It was George Chirnside himself who introduced jersey cattle to Australia in the early 1900s, as well as a range of innovative farming machinery and techniques – pioneering the fresh thinking of the region we know and love today.

Come in-centre and check out these new works of art for yourself at Chirnside Park Shopping Centre!


cow

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