Pittwater Life March 2023 Issue

The mural of the story is…
News
Leonardo da Vinci spent
a reputed three years
painting his most famous
fresco, The Last Supper – one
of Milan’s artistic drawcards.
Roving artist Daniel Hend,
28, is a lot quicker.
Daniel took just four days to
complete the expansive mural
of Northern Beaches bush life
which now adorns the Bowling
Green Lane side of Avalon
Beach RSL.
Look carefully and you’ll
spot lots of familiar fauna and
flora.
However, three creatures are
depicted, ghost-like in grey.
“The wildlife that still exists
in Avalon is painted realistically,”
Daniel says. “But the
three that are now extinct
(in the neighbourhood) – the
koala, the swamp wallaby and
the echidna – appear as ghosts
as a reminder of what has
been lost.”
The $4000 mural is largely
crowd-funded, with a $2000
donation from Avalon Beach
RSL, and owes its existence to
local businesswoman Jasmine
Hopcraft.
After spotting Daniel’s request
for mural commissions
on the Avalon What’s On social
media site, Jasmine contacted
the itinerant artist who roams
along the east coast of Australia
from “my two homes
in Mullumbimby (in northern
NSW) and Tasmania”.
“I thought his work was outstanding,”
says Jasmine, whose
family has lived in the beachside
suburb for two decades.
“So I put a post out saying,
‘Why don’t we set up a Go
Fund Me page to get a mural
here in Avalon to celebrate our
gum trees and natural fauna
and flora?’
“The public just jumped on
it. We had over 46 donations.
Some people put in $200.
“I scoped Avalon looking for
suitable walls, and decided the
Bowling Green Lane side of the
RSL was the best spot.”
Jasmine took her proposal
to Cristo Tracy, the RSL’s affable
General Manager, who
promised to run it past the
club’s board – which agreed
“unanimously”.
A slight hiccup came when
STREET ART: The mural painted by Daniel Hend and depicting ‘ghost’ and living local wildlife, came about thanks
to crowd funding and negotiations between Jasmine Hopcroft and Avalon Beach RSL, which donated $2000.
a Northern Beaches councillor
“suggested we approach
the Council in case we needed
financial help,” Jasmine continues.
“We didn’t. But the Council
was keen to support it, and
helped ensure we ticked all the
(planning) boxes… and they
helped to make sure we could
go ahead in the timeframe
before Daniel moved on.”
Daniel – who never went to
art school – learned his skills
from “my father, Len (Hend), a
landscape artist”.
When Daniel was 19, his
father was offered a mural
commission but turned it
down – recommending his son
instead.
Since then, Daniel hasn’t
looked back – with a dozen
murals queuing up to be
started when we talk. The RSL
one was painted using brush
and roller and normal exterior
household paint.
To research the Avalon
mural, he was guided around
Angophora Bushland Reserve
(between Avalon, Clareville
and Bilgola plateau) by “two
of my new friends, Tom and
Jaidon”.
According to Jasmine, both
the Council and the RSL are
keen to re-commission Daniel
to extend his mural up the
entire wall.
“The Council also suggested
we apply an anti-graffiti finish.
“Daniel has painted it so the
trees can become taller, exposing
the canopy with cockatoos,
sea eagles and the sky,” she
says.
However, there are two
problems.
To extend the mural – with
all the scaffolding and scissor
lifts that would entail – will
cost an extra $15,000.
Plus it would probably entail
the relocation of the muchloved
signature emblem which
the prominent Palm Beach
artist Bruce Goold – a founder
member of the famous Yellow
House collective largely funded
by the late Martin Sharpe
—created to celebrate Avalon
Beach’s centenary in 2021.
“Bruce can select the most
appropriate position if the
Avalon centenary logo is
relocated to another position
on the building,” Cristo
explained. “The board and
myself are very interested
in extending Daniel’s mural
when possible.
“What already is up is
fantastic. Taking up the whole
wall would complete the artwork
perfectly.”
– Steve Meacham
10 MARCH 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991