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A POIGNANT mural that will pay tribute to Walpeup’s Anzac history will start being painted in the Mallee Track town from next week.

Internationally renowned artist Julian Clavijo will paint an image of a soldier and a horse upon the GrainCorp Walpeup Silo on the Mallee Highway.

The chosen art is a tribute to the local men and women from the area who went to war, including teenager Harold Thomas Bell.

The teenager was shot in the leg during the Battle of Beersheba in modern-day Israel on October 31 1917 and died of his wounds the following day.

He was 16 years and seven months old.

Mildura Regional Development chief executive Brett Millington said the mural would allow its viewers to pause and reflect.

“It’s recognition of that story but also the number of young men who left the district to head off to war,” Mr Millington said.

The Walpeup mural project has been four years in the making and will come to life from May 3.

Mr Millington said COVID lockdowns and interruptions delayed its start, as did changes of personnel within GrainCorp and changes of policy around silo art.

The artist, Mr Clavijo, has had a busy schedule as well.

He’s painted lifelike portrait murals in other regional areas like Benalla, Moe and Gisborne and in prominent Melbourne locations.

“When we first signed him up he was world-renowned and now he’s even more popular,” Mr Millington said

“(He’s) just come off working on a clay animation set with Adam Elliot, the Oscar winner.”

Mr Millington said the mural would be ready in time for the town’s memorial hall centenary celebrations and would be a fantastic asset to the Walpeup community.

“This has just worked out ideally in regard to that,” he said.

“They’ve fought really hard for this along the long way and we were tossing up alternatives of painting a silo, whether it was projecting or otherwise.

“We’ve eventually got here, and I’m just really rapt for them.”

Article written by: Wade Stephens

Article provided by The Sunraysia Daily
https://www.sunraysiadaily.com.au