Birchip Silo Art Commemorates Local Legend and Helps GrainCorp Celebrate Major Milestone in Style
Sunday morning on the 6th of September, Birchip locals gathered for the official unveiling of the town's new silo art, followed by an afternoon of entertainment at the local hotel, complete with a special guest appearance from the Melbourne Cup.
The expansive black-and-white artwork celebrates the story of local jockey Ray Neville, who - at just 15 years old - won the 1948 Melbourne Cup in a thrilling photo finish.
The story goes a day before his 16th birthday, "the boy from Birchip" was called upon last minute to ride six-year-old chestnut Rimfire in the famed race.
His trainer Lou Robinson reportedly opted to not even tell Ray he was racing until the morning of the Cup, to ensure the boy got a good night's sleep and wasn't affected by nerves.
Having only acquired his jockey license eight weeks prior, on a horse expected by many to be scratched - Rimfire had pulled up sore from a race a few earlier - the run was expected to be nothing more than a "good experience" for Ray, with the duo's odds set at 80-1.
However, that good experience turned into a historic moment, as the Melbourne Cup's first ever photo finish captured Rimfire crossing the line a mere nose ahead of second-placed Dark Marne.
Back in Birchip, where locals huddled around radios to catch a piece of the action, the town erupted when news broke that the local boy had won the nation’s biggest race. An unforgettable moment etched into community memory, and now into the silos standing above the town, captured beautifully by St Arnaud artist Kyle Torney.
The official unveiling of the mural also served as a major milestone for Australian agribusiness GrainCorp, marking the company's 20th silo art project since it became involved in the silo art movement a decade ago.
Speaking with FlowFM's Jessica Dempster on the Country Viewpoint, GrainCorp Community Engagement Manager Kyle Docherty said the Birchip project was a fitting way to mark the company's 10 years of involvement in silo art across regional Australia.
"This year has been a fantastic year," he said,"we've been celebrating the 10-year milestone since the first silo art mural that we were involved with down in Brim in Victoria in 2016."
"It's been a really great journey over the last 10 years, it's really about celebrating a decade of bringing some colour back to the country."
Mr Docherty explained that GrainCrop's silo art journey first began when the community of Brim approached the company about painting its disused silos, with the idea subsequently spreading to other regional towns.
“We’ve got hundreds of silos that we don’t use anymore," he said. "So we just felt that getting involved in this space is something we were really passionate about.”
He said that the murals have gone on to become about much more than much more than simply transforming old infrastructure.
“There’s well over 50 murals across Australia, and it’s just bringing so much joy back to these country regions who have been doing it tough, like a lot of us, over the last sort of 10, 15 years."
“These are great economic drivers. But more importantly than anything else, it gives these small towns some real pride in being able to tell their story on their silos in their country town.”
He said that community involvement is also integral to how each GrainCorp silo mural is developed, with local groups deciding which stories and characters should be represented.
“The community gets to figure out what story they want to tell on their silos, symbolic to their local town,” Mr Docherty said.
“They go through a community consultation process and make sure that the broader community are on board as well. They then go out and select an artist, and we work through that process with them to bring the project to life.”
In Birchip, the project has been several years in the making, with Mr Docherty saying the time required can vary significantly between communities.
“These projects can take sort of two, three, four years to come to life from start to finish. Some can happen quite quickly,” he said.
“I think it’s all dependent on how proactive the local community is in bringing all the elements of the project to life.”
For Mr Docherty, the Birchip mural also has a personal significance, having been involved with the project since his first day at GrainCorp almost six years ago.
He said that Birchip local Rod Glenn and his late wife Joan were strong supporters of the project, and it was particularly meaningful for him to see the completed mural with Rod before his recent passing.
“To be able to be down there a couple of months ago, stand with Rod and look at the mural, it made me incredibly proud to be involved with the project."
To hear Kyle's full chat with Jess on the Country Viewpoint, and learn more about GrainCorp's involvement with the silo art trail, check out The Country Viewpoint Podcast, which can be found at flowfm.com.au right underneath the podcast tab.
Comments