Five colourful murals created by Porirua school students were unveiled by Mayor Jenny Brash
When the Plimmerton railway underpass was constructed earlier this year the colour scheme didn?t impress locals. ?There was this horrible cream colour in the new underpass and we wanted to brighten up that dark area,? said Plimmerton Residents? Association coordinator Meryl Harwood. Five colourful murals created by Porirua school students were unveiled by Mayor Jenny Brash in the subway at the end of November. The murals were crafted by pupils from Plimmerton School, Plimmerton Kindergarten, St Theresa's School, Bishop Viard College and Aotea College. ?The turnout was great considering the weather was not kind to us, around 100 people gathered in the underpass to watch the unveiling ?It?s great to have had so much community support for this project,? said Mrs Harwood. Each school group was supplied with materials and encouraged to use themes associated with Plimmerton. Mrs Harwood said the result is a range of quite different murals using different artistic mediums. The kindergarten worked on a theme of waving hands, while Bishop Viard has given art students each a square within the mural to develop their own ideas, and St Theresa's has worked with tiles and mosaics. ?We are hugely grateful to the school's who have taken part. We know how busy they are and they've given these murals a lot of time and effort. ?We've heard from the teachers that the students have loved doing it,? she said. The project has also been supported by a number of sponsors who have covered the cost of materials, in particular the Plimmerton Rotary Club. The project brightens the railway subway, which runs between Steyne Avenue and Plimmerton Domain, and works to discourage tagging. The work is a continuation of the Porirua City Council?s Village Planning work, which has resulted in an extension of the railway subway, as well as street safety work, landscaping, a new waterfront promenade and shopping centre upgrade.
