History and heritage have come to life through a mural

Artist Angela Clark and Vice Commodore John Hinks at Norah Head Boat and Recovery Club

History and heritage have come to life through a mural on the once drab wall at Norah Head Boat and Recovery Club in Cabbage Tree Bay.

Vice Commodore of the club, John Hinks, says it’s got everyone talking, it’s been really well received and is becoming a popular backdrop for visitors taking photos.

“It has totally transformed the building and brought it to life,” he said.

Artist, Angela Clark, says it’s such an important little stretch of coastline between Hargraves House and the lighthouse, with Cabbage Tree Bay in between.

“There’s a wealth of knowledge and wealth of history in this area and therein lies the idea behind this design.

“There’s a story here and it’s a really good one.

“I’ve got a long history in this area as well, since I was a child, and I have my own associations with Cabbage Tree Bay, so I suggested we draw on some of the really rich history and the fishing culture and all the things that are quintessential to Cabbage Tree harbour.

“We wanted to pay tribute to all the generations of fishing families, the ring of pines in the northern area, that’s something that I’ve always associated with this area, and they’ve been a landmark for so long for people out on the water.

“The mural depicts the nature of the area and some of its characters, like the mariner in the corner, and the resident stingray in the bay gets a look in too at the other corner of the mural.”

It took Angela eight days to finish the mural, delayed for days by rain, and she wanted to thank Allcott Hire for their support.

John Hinks said the mural has been so well received that they decided to continue it through to the front wall with possibly an above-water and below-water scene.

“The divers that use the clubhouse will likely be included as well as the regular swimmers down here at the ramp,” Hinks said.

Norah Head Boat and Recovery Club has been around since the 1970s on a Crown Land lease.

“It’s a not-for-profit club and it has been built up entirely by volunteers including the original clubhouse in the late 70s,” Hinks said.

“Back in the day there were little boat sheds along the beach and big old timber boats that had to be dragged ashore on wooden rails like train tracks,” he said.

“All the winches were donated, ex-mine winches, and back in the day the blokes used to knock off work and come down here to work and, well, you can see the amount of concrete they’ve poured over the years for the driveways, parking and ramp.

The club now has about 250 members and the clubhouse also houses the Norah Head Marine Rescue radio operators on the top floor and divers also have a space for themselves in the building.

“It’s very much a community based club,” Hinks said.

“Members can launch their boats, there’s winches to retrieve their boats, secure parking with boom gate entry, the clubhouse is open 24/7, with toilets, hot showers, fish weighing and cleaning benches, boat washing, and after all that, they can relax with a coffee upstairs on the verandah.”

Sue Murray