The Kaniva and District Progress Association’s Wiregrass Heritage Trail project is progressing well, combining art, history, and community input to bring Australian social history to life.

The project launched in July 2023 with an initial community meeting to gather local input, followed by the start of video storytelling, capturing the community’s connection to the trail’s history.

In August, a pop-up meeting invited feedback on the mural concept, and a visit to the State Library explored archival materials. During the same month, the community was invited to share input on the characters they’d like to see on the mural through café pop-ups, and a survey. The response was clear: people wanted nostalgic memories from Percy’s original black-and-white works. Permission to display the permanent exhibition of 20 framed prints in the Kaniva Visitor Centre was requested to the West Wimmera Shire Council.

In September, another pop-up meeting allowed the community to help select the specific cartoons to be featured. With these selections finalised, orders were placed for mural panels and cartoon prints. Those files have since been received. They were also sent to Percy Leason’s great-granddaughter, a storyboard artist and animator based in Los Angeles, who is developing a digital activation for the mural.

At the October 2024 Kaniva Show, Sue Berry kindly held a cartoon workshop along with Percy’s Agricultural Shows Cartoons displayed. The show committee incorporated a special category for cartooning, with Nanette Jolly winning the section for her cartoon of locals Paul and Glennis Sampson. The prize of an Australian Silo Art Calendar was donated by Kaniva and District Progress Association.

The first draft of the mural concept has now been put together, featuring the nostalgic figures the community envisioned. The mural design aims to tell a simple story incorporating the tree and pipework as part of the mural, so that when the viewer walks around the space the design will change, first they will see women with prams and children, whilst approaching from the east side and up the accessibility ramp will reveal people queuing for the Post Office. Boards are currently being prepped, and volunteer artists will begin painting soon.

The Wiregrass Heritage Trail project has been funded through the Local History Grants Program and Public Record Office Victoria, with further support from Silo Art Calendar sales and private donations. We have recently received a further $500 as an anonymous donation towards this project.

In other news, the Kaniva and District Progress Association has re-submitted the Tiny Towns grant application to paint the Kaniva Water Tower as a unique and compelling public art project. This project aims to highlight the story of the underground water, the Territory Water Aquifer, and the inland sea that once shaped the Big Desert and Little Desert National Parks. This historical and environmental tale is closely tied to the development of agriculture in the region, making it a story only Kaniva can tell. This project was identified as a priority by the Kaniva & District Progress Association (KDPA) in our 2020 strategic plan, and although unsuccessful in previous grant applications, we are optimistic about this latest application.

Full details on all projects are available at https://www. kaniva.org/kdpa.html.

This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 30 October 2024.
Related stories: Percy Leason project update, Percy Leason’s Wiregrass cartoons to bring history to life