The aged care facility unveiled their new mural on Thursday and it received a warm reception from residents, staff and members of the public.
They gathered to join local artists Maryanne Jenkins and Joyce Dempsey for the event as well as a morning tea and bubbly to celebrate the new artwork.
The artists spent a few hours a week over the course of a month bringing the local imagery to life with a little help from residents and staff.
‘‘(Menarock) indicated they wanted to show the cultural diversity they had within the facility. We also had some local input so some of the residents could identify with some of the landmarks of Echuca,’’ Maryanne said.
The mural centred around a picnic by the river in a place fondly known as ‘The Onion Patch’ where many of the residents would often spend time.
Familiar depictions of the Echuca Wharf and paddlesteamers could be seen in the background as well as native Australian animals throughout the bush scenery.
‘‘It started out as a sketch we did and as the residents wanted different animals, it developed into a sort of ‘Where’s Wally’ puzzle,’’ she said.
They were particularly interested in the process, visiting the artists as they worked towards completing the mural.
‘‘The residents themselves have benefited from the process because they would often find something new they hadn’t seen last time they went past,’’ Joyce said, adding they hoped this mural would have a different impact on anyone who saw it.
‘‘There’s enough photos around, but they don’t always have that identifying nature,’’ Maryanne said.
‘‘With photos, what you see is what you get, but paintings tell more of a story and we hope that’s what this mural will do.’’