Gillie and Marc donate $1.6m of animal conservation statues to Eurobodalla Shire
The big banana, prawn and of course - pineapple. But now, a new wave of giant statues are being rolled out across a NSW town and it begs the question: Are locals enthralled or are they over it?
A giant gorilla statue that has suddenly appeared in a South Coast suburb has left locals baffled — with many asking where it came from, why it’s there, and whether council should be focusing on other problems instead of erecting animal sculptures.
The 3m tall sculpture known as “Mina” is now standing in Batehaven’s Corrigans Reserve and is the first of 22 set to be rolled out across the Eurobodalla.
Eurobodalla Council says it is partnering with globally acclaimed British-Australian artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, who are donating the $1.6m collection through the Cultural Gifts Program.
The Schattner’s global work focuses on animal conservation, with exhibitions worldwide from New York and London to Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
Council’s only cost is the $27,000 installation bill, but some residents argue even that sum should go elsewhere.
“Who are the intelligent brains to approve this expenditure?” resident Joao Caldeira asked.
“We need to find ways to make these people accountable for these types of decisions, we pay rates so we have some say on these ridiculous decisions.”
Resident Belinda Parrish-Law agreed, saying council should prioritise issues like keeping the Batemans Bay ED open.
“We need to start speaking up as a community,” she said.
A Facebook poll noting the installation cost and future maintenance costs asks the community “is it worth it?”.
Of 103 votes, 62 per cent said no.
Eurobodalla mayor Mathew Hatcher said the statues would not detract from other shire priorities, also noting parks and gardens were installing the sculptures, not infrastructure.
“This is $27,000 for $1.6m in donations,” he said.
“They put us on the map, and everyone is checking them out and taking pictures with them.”
Mr Hatcher said they were donated by the iconic artist duo due to the town’s famous sculpture event,
“Gillie and Marc came to us for that reason,” he said.
“Show me any other regional council that has anything like this. You will not find it.”
The gorilla is already in place, with the remaining 21 pieces to be installed across the shire in the coming weeks.
The full line-up includes an orang-utan, leopard, giraffe, Bengal tiger, zebra, panda, cheetah, white rhino, brown bear, chimpanzee, polar bear, lion, artic fox, Indian elephant, western lowland, African elephant, giant tortoise, rock wallaby, Javan rhino and hippo.
Council says the project aligns with its Community Strategic Plan 2042, the Eurobodalla Public Art Strategy 2021 and its Public Art and Art Acquisitions policies.
It says the statues will boost the region’s character, strengthen tourism and champion environmental sustainability.
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Originally published as Gillie and Marc donate $1.6m of animal conservation statues to Eurobodalla Shire
