Beloved mural reaches heritage status

ALICE Springs has had another heritage object added to its rich list of unique and historic objects.

Jose Petric and Dominic Pecorari with the painting inside the St Mary's Chapel. PHOTO: PHIL WILLIAMS.

ALICE Springs has had another heritage object added to its rich list of unique and historic objects.

The mural painted by Robert Czako in 1958 on the chapel wall at St Mary's Anglican chapel on south Stuart Highway received the declaration last week from the NT Government.

Lands, Planning and Environment Minister Peter Chandler's permanent declaration in the Northern Territory Gazette was welcomed heartily in Alice Springs.

Long-time resident and Alice Springs historian Jose Petrick said she had all the reasons to be happy as she recalled how she sacrificed her time and resources to trace Robert Czako's history in 1986.

"I came to Alice Springs in 1951 and this site was a home for bush children to attend day primary school," she said.

"In 1986 we had a reunion of all people who worked here and sister Eileen Heath, who had been superintendent in 1946, also came.

"I then sought to find out if someone had written a story about the mural painter.

"It seemed no one had written a story about the great painter, so I had to put an advert in the Sydney Morning Herald and I received amazing responses of other paintings he had done elsewhere.

"I am very happy that this has been declared a heritage object.

"It is important and it is such a treasure.

"This is a narration of Jesus' story from his birth to crucifixion. It also reflects people of all origins around the world.

"It shows about 20 biblical scenes and characters mainly from the book of Revelations and the four gospels."

Alice Springs Heritage chairman Dominic Pecorari said the government had made a very noble move and called on the community to preserve Alice's unique objects.

"We are a town very reach in unique objects, we have pieces of objects like railway houses of Railway Terrace, the RFDS among many others,'' he said.

"It is important that more unique objects of Alice be listed on the NT register.

"This painting will become more greatly appreciated in the future."

Robert Czako was a Hungarian artist with exceptional ability to portray objects in paintings.

According to Ms Petrick's script about Robert Czako's life and activities, the artist finished the mural and travelled to Borroloola before later going to Sydney and rejoining the staff at Ars Sacra Studio where he continued to to design and paint.

Ms Petrick said following a heart condition Czako died in his sleep in 1965 ,leaving memorial art works in Australia and Europe.

"He felt strongly that the prime function of a church was to inspire those who enter and even those who pass by," she said.