Published on Thursday, 6 September 2018 at 1:22:07 PM
Despite cold and blustery weather, a large crowd was present within CBH’s shed at the 46th Newdegate Machinery Field Day on 5 September for the official opening of the ‘PUBLIC Silo Trail’ project.
In 2015 FORM began this ambitious project called PUBLIC. Its goal was to bring internationally-acclaimed urban artists to WA and set them their biggest challenge ever: to transform a string of massive CBH Group grain silos into works of art.
The project is funded thanks to the Australian Government: Building our Future and Lotterywest. The PUBLIC Silo Trail begins in Northam and winds its way east from Perth along the Great Eastern Highway to Merredin (which aside from the silo art, also features the longest grain bin in the Southern Hemisphere at 610m x 59m. The E-type bin was built in 1969 and can hold 220,000 tonnes of wheat) before diverting south to Katanning (Western Power transformer boxes around town were painted instead of silos here), then east to Pingrup, Newdegate and Ravensthorpe before finally heading south west along the South Coast Highway to finish in Albany overlooking historic Princess Harbour.
Project Manager, Rhianna Pezzaniti opened proceedings.
“We really wanted this project to shine a light upon the towns that make this trail and the communities that make them. We hope that through getting the word out that this project will encourage greater visitation to your towns and we hope that the project will spark more opportunities, more investment and more cultural projects,” she said.
CBH Chairman, Wally Newman, continued proceedings followed by Liberal MP, Mr Rick Wilson. WA Agricultural Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, was then invited forward to conduct the official opening.
“I think what is really important and really special is that each one (silo) has a very different theme and a very different feel and I think this is going to be really important for this project going forward,” she said. “What is really important is that we do make sure that these things are really of great quality; that they’re really diverse and that we don’t get formulaic about it. Each one has to be re-envisaged to keep that vitality.”
“ The other thing that communities like you here at Newdegate have here to offer is just the most extraordinary sense of community and perhaps you don’t always realise just how special it is what you have and your ability to share that with the people that come through. To embrace those tourists and do that fabulous country style welcome I think is the thing (as much as the art that we see on the silos) that is going to make this whole project of Wheatbelt tourism really work. ”
Minister MacTiernan then officially declared the PUBLIC Silo Trail launched.
Further information about the ‘PUBLIC Silo Trail’ is available from WA visitor centres across southern WA or alternatively, jump online to the official website - www.publicsilotrail.com.
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