Flamin’ Hell

Fire ripped through the Upper Murray on 30/12/19. Like a marauding beast it devoured all in its path. Volunteer firefighters from our Walwa-Jingellic community hauled on their yellow uniforms and rushed to the fray. For the next 10 days they were involved in frantic fire fights in difficult terrain, risking everything, desperate to control the beast. Long hours on duty, then home to salvage their farms, feed scattered herds, fix fencing, black out smouldering paddocks, hold their families close and find some rest and renewed strength for the next round with the beast. It was frenetic activity, tortured by frustration of not being able to stop the flaming hell and appalled by damage inflicted on their community. 

We would like to gather up remnants of metal from the ashes and have acclaimed sculptor, Andrew Whitehead create one of his amazing sculptures: a dynamic depiction of a firefighter in amongst the “Flamin’ Hell” to celebrate the self sacrifice, grit and determination of our volunteer firefighters. To celebrate and commemorate their heroism and their massive contribution to saving the townships of Walwa and Jingellic. 

To achieve this goal we need to raise funds to commission the sculptor and install the artwork on the Jingellic Showgrounds precinct. It will become a feature of the Great River Road sculpture trail linking Albury-Wodonga to the Upper Murray. 

Thank you for considering our project. We will keep donors informed via posts on the Jingellic Showgrounds Facebook page.