History Inspired Mural at Woodstock

Published on 10 December 2019

Woodstock Mural

Burwood has a new mural, reflecting a thought-provoking story and a little known history of Woodstock Community Centre.

Commissioned by Burwood Council as an initiative of its Public Art Strategy 2018-2022 and aligning with its vision to be attractive and create a sense of local identity, the new work is titled Sissy the elephant.

The artwork imagery features an elephant coming through a book with children looking up in awe and excitement; a reference to the Penfolds Stationery family who built Woodstock in 1871.

In 1933 Sissy the elephant escaped a local circus to romp through the Burwood community. Woodstock was owned at the time by the Keep Sisters and historical articles document the sisters shooing off the escaped Sissy from their backyard in the early hours of the morning.

The combined images reference the heritage of the site through a contemporary artwork.

This is the second in a series of public arts projects Burwood Council rolled out to create opportunities for public art and culture

. Mayor John Faker was pleased to see a history-inspired artwork which can be enjoyed by the whole community.

“Public art is a visual asset and has an important role to play in the transformation of public space. I am proud we are investing in the creativity of our community. ” he said.

"I look forward to hearing more people discuss these artworks and ideas." The image of an elephant today has varied meanings in many different cultures; overall they represent wisdom, strength and good fortune.