1874-2024
As part of Dayboro State School’s 150th celebration, I was commissioned to transform a large besser block wall into a colourful canvas, creatively telling stories of the history of the school. The resulting mural ‘1874-2024’ celebrates the school’s connections to local waterways - Rush, Armstrong and Terrors creeks - the creeks being the names of the school’s sport houses. The waterways play an important role in the Dayboro community to this day, being places of relaxation, gathering and connection to nature.
I worked closely with the school community to design the mural, firstly, engaging with every student in the school in creative workshops where students shared their own stories and connections to the creeks. I then engaged with visitors to the school running a creative drop-in workshop at the 150th celebration evening, where people with a long connection to the school shared their memories and recollections.
Completed in December 2025, the history of Dayboro State School unfolds in the mural over a 18.5 m2 wall, first referencing a black and white photo of the original teacher and students of Terrors Creek, then meandering through the lush green mountain ranges of the region. Dotted throughout the mural are students’ drawings faithfully recreated and scaled up for maximum impact. Also referenced are black and white dairy cows from the school logo and words from the school song. The colour palette for the mural was inspired by vintage sports house flags on display at the 150th open night.
Painting a mural can be a fraught exercise, predominantly working outdoors and highly susceptible to changes in the weather. The 150th mural took 5 days to complete – a spate of beautiful warm and dry weather making the process that much easier.
Photo acknowledgment: Photos courtesy of the artist
