Tatura farmer Lynton Close making minion statues to entertain the community
When the coronavirus lockdown came in, Tatura farmer Lynton Close was twiddling his thumbs wondering what to do with all the old gas and water tanks on his property. Then he had an idea — and the result has his small town laughing.
Goulburn Valley
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Tatura’s Lynton Close comes from a long line of scrap metal workers – but he’s the first to turn junk into art.
After sitting around bored during the COVID-19 lockdown, the handyman thought he’d made giant minions out of old gas and water tanks to entertain the local community.
“I was thinking about what to do with all the junk,” he said.
“I decided to cheer up the kids because it’s all a bit depressing at the moment.”
As to why he chose minions, he simply loved the movies.
“I reckon they’re funny,” he said.
And the community thinks so too. Since he and his wife Katrina placed the works of art outside their Murton Rd home, they’ve been getting a lot of attention despite living on a quiet country road.
“People have discovered them and told their friends, while others stop and take a video and laugh as they walk past,” Mrs Close said.
“It’s great to see.”
The joy is spreading beyond the Goulburn Valley, with Mrs Close’s nieces and nephews in Melbourne itching to get up to the country to see the statues once lockdown ends.
“They’re making my sister replay the video of the minions thousands of times,” Mrs Close said with a laugh.
Minions are just the start of it.
Mr Close has already made and sold other bespoke scrap metal creations and has plans to extend the installation outside his home to include other characters.
However, the closing of farm clearing sales at the start of the pandemic has meant Mr Close has not been able to collect as much junk as he would like to.
So to keep his new-found artistic practice going, Mr Close is open to receiving scrap metal from the community.
If you would like to get in touch with Lynton Close, contact closelynton@gmail.com
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