Stanley Primary School students have teamed up with staff from Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) to bring a splash of colour to the town.
Working off the theme of ‘a child’s view of the local environment’, students from kinder to grade 6 participated in brainstorming and creating their own artwork. The artworks have been installed on a Gabion Fence providing a finishing touch to the new Stanley Field Centre which opened its doors late last year.
The newly erected Gabion Fence at the Stanley Field Centre featuring artworks created by local Stanley Primary School students.
Whether it be a local icon like The Nut, an endangered species or just a favourite animal or place to visit, they were given the freedom to choose a subject which resonated with them.
6-year-old student Matilda said she chose to represent “under the sea” by drawing a whale chasing a seal.
“I went to the wharf went to the wharf and I saw a whale spout water out. My favourite thing about Stanley is the beach because we get to go swimming there,” she said.
While 12-year-old Miller chose to draw low tide and a rock with kelp and seaweed and Rocky Cape in the background due to liking Rocky Cape and its history.
For 11-year-old Louis he painted the Stanley Pinwheel Snail which only lives on the Nut in Stanley.
“I just thought it was a cool animal,” he said.
9-year-old Rosie said “I chose to paint daisies in front of The Nut. I think I chose daisies because it’s a beautiful flower and you see it growing a lot around here and because The Nut is a beautiful sight to see. I like walking it and seeing all the views of Stanley."
Stanley Primary School principal Jo Coates said the project started with PWS Ranger in Charge Ben Hill who floated the idea and contacted the school.
“From there it was a joint conversation in how we could make it happen,” she said.
“The students had the opportunity to speak to PWS officers about their jobs, the region, and their role in protecting the environment. They then each created an artwork that resonated with them from those conversations.
Ranger in Charge Ben Hill and Stanley Primary School principal Jo Coates with a book containing all 22 artworks from the project.“The tricky task from there was choosing and whittling them down to 22 artworks to be chosen for painting. They painted them onto the canvas’ themselves with the assistance of local artist and teacher Fran Joyce. Once completed, staff from PWS took them from there and selected the final 15, turning them into what you see here today.
“We are thankful for the opportunity. You can see how proud the kids are, even if it’s not their artwork on the wall today. Everyone’s really happy to be here looking at them and proud of what we’ve what we’ve been able to do together with PWS.”
PWS staff based at the Stanley Field Centre support and maintain a number of unique visitor experiences in the surrounding area and manage a significant local reserve network comprising of approximately 195,000 hectares of reserves and 17 islands.