Artistic tribute to 1972 Sunbury Pop Festival transforms O’Shanassy

PHIL Roberts has hand painted bollards in O’Shanassy St, paying homage to the iconic 1972 Sunbury Pop Festival.

Artist Phil Roberts with one of his two painted bollards on O’Shanassy St.

A SUNBURY street has been transformed into an artistic tribute to the iconic Sunbury Pop Festival.

A dozens dated bollards in O’Shanassy have been handpainted to pay homage to the 1972 festival.

The project, jointly-coordinated by Hume Council and the SunFest committee, has been supported by enthusiastic traders who have adopted the concrete poles.

Sunbury sign-writer Phil Roberts has created two of the art works.

He painted an image of Billy Thorpe — the late musician whose career blossomed as a result of the festival — and a Sunbury Pop Festival-inspired beer can.

Mr Roberts said he was unaware a beer can had been produced for the festival at the time.

He was helped by an intact design still kept at Sunbury’s George Evans Museum.

“The festival put Sunbury on the map and it put Thorpe on the map to,” Mr Roberts said.

“Two months after the concert I saw him play a free concert at the Myer Music Bowl where 250,000 turned up — it was incredible, but that’s what the pop festival did for him.”

The project will be officially unveiled on Saturday at SunFest.