The suburb of Throsby in Gungahlin has welcomed two new residents in the form of a steel sculpture of a kangaroo and its joey.
Commissioned to mark the 30th anniversary of Floriade last year, the sculpture, entitled Stopping to Smell the Flowers, will now call the new recreational park in Bettong Avenue, Throsby home, with the park officially named ‘Joey Park’ in its honour.
Representing the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development at the
official unveiling of the sculpture, Suzanne Orr MLA said that after its popular exhibition at Floriade last year a new home needed to be found for the artwork.
“The inclusion of this artwork has been a collaboration between artsACT and the Suburban Land Agency,” Ms Orr said.
“The Joey Park Housewarming Picnic today hosted by the Suburban Land Agency’s Mingle team marks the welcome of the artwork to Throsby.”
Minister for the Arts and Cultural Events, Gordon Ramsay said Throsby seemed like the right location for the work.
“As one of Canberra’s newest suburbs, it is an ideal place to include a public artwork that will be one of the local residents from the start,” Mr Ramsay said.
He said it was also a fitting location for an animal sculpture as it was in proximity to both Mulligans Flat and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserves.
“The area is already home to many kangaroos and other Australian mammals,” Mr Ramsay said.
“The kangaroos will be very much at home in this natural environment, standing amongst established gumtrees, and close to the playground.”
The artist who created the work, Jimmy Rix has been a sculptor for 23 years and has public artworks on display in Perth, Sydney and Bowral.
Stopping to Smell the Flowers is his first work to be permanently installed in Canberra.
