The Sutherland Shire Bicentennial Memorial TapestryPrint Page

The tapestry was part of the community's contribution towards the Bicentennial program of 1988 and the weaving of the tapestry is dedicated as a memorial to those volunteer bush fire fighters who lost their lives at Menai (1977), Waterfall (1980) and Grays Point (1983). 

Local artist John Ralfs designed the triptych which consists of 3 panels depicting the ravages of bushfire, the aftermath and the regrowth. Six additional text panels describe the background to, and details of, the tapestry. Over 100 people in the community contributed to making the tapestry and the work was supervised by an expert team of artists and weavers.

In 1994, the centre panel of the triptych was stolen and never recovered. As an alternative, artists from the Continuum Art Society under the guidance of John Ralfs painted a replacement painting. 

In 2001, a fundraising campaign was organised by Lorna Stone to repLace the missing tapestry.  The cost of reweaving the whole piece was in excess of $30,000, so it was a difficult project for the community to raise the funds. After intensive fundraising, the committee fell short by $6000 and the balance was donated by the State Government. The missing tapestry was completed by sole weaver Barbara Mauro and the complete tapestry was rehung and rededicated on 4th December 2004.

Location

Details

Dedication