Richard Mordaunt and Bob Gray, Mullum Gateway Project.
Very shortly we will begin repairing and restoring the Mullumbimby Gateway.
We carved the totems in 1987 on the riverbank in Mullumbimby and we designed the Gateway site so that it would be a dramatic new entrance welcoming people to Mullumbimby.
In 1987 it was a shining example of who we are, with the sculptures showcasing this regions artistic skills, environmental awareness and cultural heritage.
Now thirty years on, only two of the original 4 sculptures are left and they urgently need to be repaired.
At the beginning of 2017, our original team came together, Richard Mordaunt, Bob Gray, Jim Nutter, Roger Garlick, Rose McKinley and Ruby Collins and committed ourselves to repairing and protecting the Gateway sculptures.
We formed a new Mullumbimby Gateway Committee and throughout 2017 Richard Mordaunt and Bob Gray had numerous meetings with senior council staff, everyone agreeing on the urgent need to repair the sculptures and bring the Gateway site back to life.
Imagine if one day Council removed everything from the Gateway and there was a new supermarket opening on the site. What an outcry there would be.
As a community we must come together to repair and protect the sculptures. Together they are ‘The Mullumbimby Peace Poles’. There is the Nature carving depicting the animal and plant life of our region and the Peace pole reminding us of the fragility of the world we live in,
and we will shortly be commissioning a third sculpture. In this new stage, everything on this important site will be renewed and refreshed with a new pathway leading to the Gazebo, new plantings and new fencing and we will restand
the circle of rocks surrounding the totems. The sculptures will be lit at night welcoming people back to Mullumbimby,
In this next stage, we will be working with the Bundjalung of Byron Bay (Arakwal) Aboriginal Corporation, ensuring their artists have a voice in the renewal of this site.
We will need the support and help of many people. Please email us if you can help. All donations towards the protection and renewal of the Mullumbimby Gateway are tax deductible
