All hands on deck as Sumner mural takes shape

Piper Gordon is looking forward to seeing the finished mural she helped paint in Sumner.

Her mum, Lana Ogilvie, took Piper, 8, and her brother Archie Gordon, 9, to the community painting day for the Sumner Coastguard Station mural.

The Mt Pleasant mum said it was a great way to teach the kids about the coastguard station.

“It was quite a nice way to actually explain to the kids what the lifeboat does."

Ogilvie has fond memories of painting a mural when she was a pupil at Redcliffs School.

That prompted her to get her own kids involved with the coastguard mural.

"When it popped up, I thought, this might be something quite fun."

Piper and Archie helped paint the sea, but said their favourite part of the mural was the boat.

At least 15 children and parents took part, with the youngest being just three-years-old.

Organiser and artist Emily Quane said she was pleased with the turnout.

“It became a really good family event, which was one of the goals of doing the mural, getting the community together.

“(Attendees) said they’d had a fantastic afternoon with their families ... and they just can’t wait to see it finished as well.”

The painting took an hour, and Quane said they were able to complete more than expected.

She said Coastguard Sumner members painted the Blue Arrow rescue boat as part of a team-building exercise on Friday.

For Quane, the highlight of the day was seeing the community come together to create a public artwork for Sumner.

“It’s such a lovely thing to do.

“(The station) is the end of the Coastal Pathway as well ... If you’ve done a long walk, it’s a nice little area to have a mural there for people to look at and enjoy.

“It’s a real achievement for the community, and they can enjoy it for years to come.”

• Everyone is welcome to attend the mural's official unveiling at the station at 3pm on November 16.