A huge congratulations and thank you to the JCU Graduate Diploma of Education students who have created the artwork to symbolise the Mackay district. The project was completed in about two weeks with the students researching Mackay’s surrounding region and history. The mosaic displays a cane train synonymous with the “sugar city” working environment of this region and a Platypus with the region out to Eungella and Finch Hatton boasting one of the largest wild populations of Platypus in Australia.
Dr Jocene Vallack has provided the following brief which will be printed in the Education Express:
"Arts Education students create Mosaic Rock sculptures for School of Nursing, Midwifery & Nutrition. This week, Graduate Diploma of Education students have proudly added to the rock-art collection, which adorns the gardens of the Nursing Sciences Building. Some years ago, Professor David Lindsay, former Head of School, had a circle of rock-art created to represent the various JCU locations. More recently, JCU Mackay was welcomed to the fold, so School Manager, Chris Brown, asked Arts Education students to create a mosaic rock sculpture to represent that area. Some research revealed that icons of Mackay should include the never-ending sugar trains and the Eungella Platypus. These symbols were designed and then set in stone by the ED5221 students. Mackay’s rock now sits proudly in the JCU circle of mosaic sculptures."
When next walking past the rocks, please stop and enjoy the artwork.
