Community comes together to celebrate Ravenswood
Published on 19 October 2018
A new piece of public artwork designed to instil a sense of pride and welcome the community to the Northern Suburbs will be unveiled at Ravenswood today.
The Ravenswood Sign Project is the brainchild of Ravenswood resident of 50 years - Sharon Leonard.
The City of Launceston - through its ABCDE Learning Site programme - will unveil the sign today.
City of Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said it was Mrs Leonard's idea to have the sign installed in her community to not only welcome people to the suburb, but to also give a sense of place to those who call Ravenswood home.
"I commend Sharon for her incredible vision of this community sign. She has been involved with the local Neighbourhood House for more than 30 years and is the current president of its board," Mayor van Zetten said.
"She has raised her four children in Ravenswood and has supported many others living in the community over a number of years. She was also involved in the establishment of the first Ravenswood skate park and was also involved in the development of the Ravenswood Over 50s Club.
"There's no doubt Sharon is one of the most dedicated volunteers in her community and her passion is unquestionable - as evidence of this wonderful piece of public art now on show for the entire community to enjoy and be proud of."
Nine Ravenswood organisations were invited to participate in the sign project by designing an individual letter, which held a particular meaning for that group.
"Everyone involved really embraced the purpose of project, which was to have a community Ravenswood sign designed by the community," Mayor van Zetten said.
Each group was given a four-week window to design their letters. Local artist and University of Tasmania Social Work student Fakington Wilde then worked with the printers to fine tune those designs, which were then professionally printed on aluminium.
Builder David Jones, from the Men's Shed, designed the structure to mount the letters on, and worked on building the structure alongside other members of the Shed.
"It's been a real team effort and the Ravenswood community is very excited about promoting their sense of place and ownership in a project completely led by the community," Mayor van Zetten said.
"The City of Launceston proudly supported this project from start to finish and enabled the community to lead the process and offered guidance.
The individual letters were designed by:
R – Ravenswood Community Health Centre
A – New Parent Infant Network
V – Northern Support School
E – Zions Hill Church
N – Starting Point Neighbourhood House (Ravenswood)
S – Ravenswood Child and Family Centre
W – Ravenswood Heights Primary School
O – Ravenswood Heights Primary School
O – Ravenswood Over 50’s Club
D – Discovery Early Learning Centre