‘JJ’s world’: Graffiti tributes cover Geelong streets as bus stop wall is painted over
Family and friends have transformed crash site streets and Geelong CBD walls into graffiti shrines after Geelong teen JJ Hutchinson died when his car hit a pole in Corio.
The road leading to Geelong Grammar has become a graffiti-covered tribute, as friends, family and community members remember the 17-year-old Geelong teenager who “laughed loudest and loved life.”
Geelong teen JJ Hutchinson was the front-seat passenger of a Mazda sedan that crashed into a pole on School Rd, Corio about 2am Sunday.
JJ was treated by paramedics at the scene but could not be saved.
Two other teenage boys, one believed to be the driver and the other a back-seat passenger, were taken in a stable condition to Geelong hospital with upper-body injuries.
Tributes have since poured in across social media and at the crash site and plastered across a wall in Little Malop St.
Tags including “LLJJ” – long live Jay Jay – “Forever 17,” and “JJ’s World” have been spray-painted on railway crossing signs, nearby business facades, the road and grass, and a street pole on School Rd, turning the area into an informal place of mourning.
Flowers, artwork, jumpers, empty alcohol bottles and spray-paint cans have also been placed at the pole where the crash occurred.
Among the handwritten notes, one read: “Forever 17. We are going to miss you JJ. You will always be in our hearts and memories. Rest in peace.”
Another said: “Love you and miss you. Forever your world. LLJJ.”
His older cousin, Georgina Hutchinson said the loss of JJ left a profound void in his family and circle of friends.
“No words can express the pain and the disbelief our family feels right now,” Ms Hutchinson said.
“JJ will forever be our spark, the one who brightens our day but most importantly our reminder that a short life can still be a brilliant one well lived.”
Tributes scrawled onto a wall in Little Malop St near the Moorabool St bus stop were removed on Friday morning, though other memorials across the CBD and at the crash site remain.
Piano Bar owner and musician Andy Pubjoy said the artwork behind his venue captured how a community can come together in grief and love.
“I thought the tribute to JJ behind Piano Bar was incredibly touching – genuinely meaningful street art that captured how loved this young man was.
“There’s a big difference between artwork like this and the nuisance tagging and senseless graffiti that frustrates so many business owners across the CBD.
“My heart goes out to this young man’s family and friends.
“Losing someone so young is unimaginable.”
A 16-year-old boy, alleged to be the driver, has been charged with culpable driving, dangerous driving causing death and other offences.
He is expected to appear in a court on December 24.
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Originally published as ‘JJ’s world’: Graffiti tributes cover Geelong streets as bus stop wall is painted over
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