By MELISSA MEEHAN
AGE has wearied Upwey’s storm scene mural, but a new lease of life will be brought to the laneway as a local artist works on re-creating the well-known painting.
The Dandenong Ranges Community Bank Group commissioned artist Peter Van Breugel to recreate the mural he painted about 12 years ago on the eastern wall of the Upwey branch.
Chairman of the Group Peter Marke said the mural had deteriorated over the years, mainly due to the failure of anti-graffiti coating applied to the mural panels.
The panels are currently being replicated, and Peter has also commenced re-painting the associated storm scene on part of the bank’s brick wall.
Depending on weather conditions, it is hoped that these murals will be completed in the next few months.
“We are very proud to be able to fund this project as a donation to the people of Upwey, as these murals have been such a large part of the Upwey streetscape for many years,” Mr Marke said.
“Our company felt that the significant local history told by these panels was worth preserving and recreating, so that future Upwey residents and visitors can appreciate how the area was developed.
“It also serves as a testimonial to the designer, the late Jack Montgomery who was an internationally credentialed artist and lived in Upwey for many years.”
