Although we like to think of him as Noosa’s own, big, generous surf artist, Owen Cavanagh is a citizen of the entire Sunshine Coast, spreading his good vibes and talent far and wide, as he’s proven again by project-leading the creation of a bright and meaningful mural for the North Shore Boardriders clubhouse.
One of the longest-established surfing clubs in the country, North Shore has a proud record of contest results and community good works, but, let’s face it, the clubhouse was in need of a makeover when long-time member Owen approached Sunshine Coast Council for some funding about six months ago.
Councillor Joe Natoli jumped on board, so to speak, and Owen and his team – including local First Nations’ artist Shauna Hill, Steven Bordonaro from Crazy Horse Studios and Rod Tickle from East Coast Airbrushing – went to work.
Owen said: “The concept is a story depicting the original landowners and connecting us to country with the art by Shauna.
“The kombi van driving up from the northern parts of Brisbane depicts where the original club members lived and how they would drive up here for competitions on weekends, and you can see the van passing the Glass House Mountains.
“The mural shows an overview of the beach where the club holds its competitions. To the left is Old Woman Island and to the right is Point Cartwright.”
Shauna Hill explained the painting was about sharing the dreamtime story of Maroochydore.
“It’s the traditional story of Maroochy whose partner got killed. They say she turned into a swan and cried a river of tears, and that’s how all the waterways of the Sunshine Coast were made.
“Not many people know about this story, so when they hear about it, the story keeps spreading and that’s kind of the point of Indigenous art.
“We have our history, and we keep it through our artwork and storytelling, so by having it out where people can see it keeps the tradition going.”
The project was funded by Sunshine Coast Council’s Division 4 minor capital works budget which contributed $12,500 to complete the works.
