As the mural which adorns the Lawrence water tower continues to attract plenty of admiration, members of the Lawrence Community Fundraising Inc (LCFI) have expressed their disappointment, insisting the idea behind the project originated from a proposal by a resident more than 12 months ago following a consultation hosted by the group to encourage community conversations and invite locals to share their thoughts about additions they wanted in their village.

Publicised as a collaboration between Clarence Valley Council (CVC) and Lawrence Public School, and featuring the work of local artist Nitsua, work on the water tower, which depicts the image of a child gazing at the full moon while a rainbow lorikeet flies past leaving a trail of colourful dust in its wake, was completed within the past fortnight.

But the LCFI are questioning its advertisement as a community project when “a majority of the community were unaware of its existence.”

President of the LCFI Jenna Thompson said the group had no knowledge of the mural until a council flyer promoting the project was recently posted on the Lawrence Community Facebook page.

While members are thrilled for Nitsua, describing his body of work, both in the Clarence Valley and beyond as stunning, they are disappointed and frustrated by the lack of genuine community consultation provided to him, resulting in “a design concept that is devoid of any connection to Lawrence, its residents, or their experiences of the 2022 flood event.”

“Had he been provided proper consultation with our community it would have been an entirely different mural the whole village would be proud of,” Ms Thompson said.

“When I think of Lawrence, I think of brolgas wandering through the cane fields, and residents wading through knee-high water to get to the General Store during the floods.

“When I look at the current design concept, nothing that’s included identifies with Lawrence, not even on a conceptual level.

“The flyer states community engagement ensures strong ownership of and pride of public spaces, but this project completely missed the mark in that respect.”

Ms Thompson said the LCFI also looked into the Flood Commemorative Events Grant regarding funding for the mural.

“We did so just in case the project had been advertised in the past and everyone missed it,” she explained.

“However, we couldn’t find anything on it, not even about the grant itself.”

“The LCFI prides itself on providing opportunities for all Lawrence residents to have input on what happens in their village, not a select few.

“That’s what ensures a genuine sense of ownership and pride in our community.”

Other members of the LCFI agree, with many taking to social media to express their dissatisfaction.

Neil Radford, who has been affiliated with the LCFI for the past two years, claims the idea behind the project was hijacked from the group.

“We (LCFI) contacted council via Mayor Ian Tiley about this project more than a year ago,” he explained.

“In October 2022, Mr Tiley informed us a staff member from council would contact our group in regard to the project, but no further communication was received.

“We (LCFI) have not been consulted or invited to join in any further community consultations about the project.

“We feel that we’ve been left out, and we’ve had no further opportunities to be involved in this project as members of the Lawrence community.

Tina Vitolins, who has lived in Lawrence since 1999, said while she is pleased students from Lawrence Public School had the opportunity to be involved in the project and its design, she said a lack of community consultation prevented others from having their say.

“As far as the mural goes its beautiful to look at, but it’s disappointing that the whole community weren’t able to feel involved,” she said.

“If anyone is to blame for the lack of community consultation, blame council, not the school.”

When approached for comment, council stated they issued a media release on the completion of the Commemorative Flood Art project, which explains the process that took place.

“No application was made, as council was offered funding as a member of the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation, who in January received a $550000 one-off Northern NSW Flood Commemorative Events Grant from the NSW Government for activities and events that commemorate the February-March 2022 flood events,” said a spokesperson.

“One of the conditions of the grant was to use the funds for the agreed purpose within six months.

“Staff were not aware of any previous conversations that had taken place between LCFI and any elected councillors.

“The correct process to propose a public art project is by submitting a Public Art Proposal as outlined in the Public Art Procedure on the council website.

“Council issued an open invitation in May for Clarence Valley residents to participate in the project via Council’s social media and the Noticeboard eNewsletter.

“Artists were invited to create artworks that shared stories of the 2022 floods, of our towns and villages, of resilience and rebuilding, and respect for the mighty Clarence River.

“As was the case for all the artworks, the final design for the Lawrence Water Tower was determined by the artist after the submission was approved by council staff.”

The Clarence Valley Independent also contacted Lawrence Public School and CVC Mayor Ian Tiley.

No responses had been received at the time of publication. 

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 9 August 2023.

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