After being removed when the factory was purchased by Unilever in 1963, the Rosella was stored for decades before being donated to the Tatura Museum a few years ago, where it awaited restoration.
While the cost to restore it was estimated at nearly $5000, the Tatura Men’s Shed completed the work free of charge.
“If you sent it away to be restored, you wouldn’t get any change out of five grand,” men’s shed member Tom Maher said.
“I put about 15 hours into the painting alone, and that’s after the boys spent a day and a half stripping it back.”
Tom, who worked as a painter for his whole career, thoroughly enjoyed the process.
“It wasn’t a car like I was used to, but at the end of the day, a surface is still a surface,” he said.
“When you start painting again, it’s like you left off yesterday. You don’t forget.
“The tricky part was reworking the eyes and the beak. It’s got to look right — you don’t want it looking like a cartoon.”
With the bird expected to be hung on the outside of the Tatura Museum in the coming week, the restoration team members said they were proud to help preserve the town’s history.
“Everything we do here is a team effort,” Tom said.
“I don’t want all the kudos for painting it — there’s always a group behind the prep work.
“It holds significant value to Tatura’s history, and we are looking forward to hanging it soon.”
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