Replacing the Rusty Chook sculpture could be the next Yatala lights art disaster

Councillors who fear an “expensive” budget blowout will occur are to meet in private to discuss how to replace the Kirra Eagle or “Rusty Chook”.

GOLD Coast City councillors will meet in private to discuss how they will replace noted landmark the Kirra Eagle or “Rusty Chook”, and not fall fowl of ratepayers.

The steel bird has had its wings clipped and councillors, still stinging from the gateway lights blow up at Yatala, have to decide whether to spend $500,000 to restore it.

An alternative is to ask the public to gift the steel.

READERS BEST PIC: Kirra Hill's majestic eagle. Supplied by Cynthia Barrow, Tweed Heads.

The Yatala lights cost more than $2m. In 2020, councillors were grilled by ratepayers about the bill given the farcical situation in which the letters were facing east-west and could not be read by motorists.

Mayor Tom Tate, who will be on leave until Friday, has already voiced his opposition to huge amounts of ratepayer money being used to restore the 40-year-old Rusty Chook, which overlooks one of the city’s top surfing breaks on Kirra Hill.

An item called Sea Eagle Sculpture Renewal was due to be discussed in a closed session at the Lifestyle and Community Committee on Tuesday, but was delayed as all committee meetings were moved to the next full council meeting on February 22.

A council source said: “I think the councillors might look at an option where they go out to the community through a tender. You would go out to a supplier to gift the steel. It will cost $500,000 if you can’t get anyone to do it.

Eagle eye view from Kirra lookout. Picture: Catherine Wiggins.

“It will still require $100,000 to weld it up. The tender could be constructed so the steel can be gifted. I think that has to happen for the project to fly again.”

Councillors admit the work to restore the headland sculpture is an “expensive exercise” but they cannot discuss it because an updated report remains confidential.

Council undertook safety checks on the popular artwork in March last year. It was created by Gold Coast artist Craig Medson in 1983. Ms Medson died in 2015 but his estate retains copyright and moral rights to the work for 70 years.

Councillors will meet in closed session to discuss the Rusty Chook. Pic by Richard Gosling.

Council officers wrote in a report that the sculpture was constructed from 6mm Austen One plate steel and its distinctive “rust patina” resulted from protective surface oxidation that develops during exposure to the atmosphere.

The eagle stands atop 4m twin-steel beams angled into a concrete base.

Councillors were previously briefed on the following three options:

• Re-house the sculpture at a cost of $20,000.

• Create a new sculpture at a cost of $500,000. It would take about two years to complete.

• Commission a replica at a cost of $300,000-500,000, which would ease community concern but create the need for ongoing maintenance.

The only details on the committee update was that a “two-phase procurement process” for the restoration of the Sea Eagle Sculpture in RT Peak Memorial Park had begun.

“The evaluation and recommendation of the first phase of this process will be discussed in closed session,” the report said.

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