Inner East locals have been caught in a beautification frenzy, with the latest spot to catch this fever being Darlinghurst’s Nimrod Park.
A local community chat for residents adjacent to the park was often discussing drug and crime issues happening in the area.
With a number of residents believing that this correlated with the street’s run-down appearance and unimaginative park, local resident Sarah Ranner offered to step in by painting a mural.
Sarah says: “Some of the people in the chat started talking about a mural on a different wall, in Surry Hills that they quite liked as it really brightened up the street, it made it look loved and like it was an area that people enjoyed… So, I said I could do that.”
The mural is named John’s Garden, as a homage to Sarah’s grandfather. “My grandfather, he passed away a few years ago. He was an avid gardener, and he took great pride in his large garden” says Sarah.
Sarah has used several photographs of the flowers, plants and natives in his garden as reference material, and hopes to tie in the mural as a memorial to her grandfather.
“It’s also a park that is used quite heavily for local dogs to visit and he was a big dog person and had a lot of dogs running around his garden. So, I thought it would be a nice way to remember my grandfather.”
Not only has the reaction from the immediate community been overwhelmingly positive, but the wider community has also been appreciative of Sarah’s efforts.
“A lot of people walk by and stop to say that they’ve changed their walking routes. They’ve noticed it and now come by every day to see the improvements. A lot of people are taking pictures of it to see the progression, and they stop to say that it has brightened their day quite a bit.”
Sarah paid for the project out of her pocket most of the time, however did receive a number of donations to even pit the costs.
Sarah has been approached by several other residents asking to paint murals in other local areas and hopes to continue this beautification process.
Photo credit: Sarah Ranner
