Local artist will capture childhood memories and Narrogin’s history and community in new leisure centre mural

A large-scale mural artist will return to his Wheatbelt roots to redecorate the Narrogin Leisure Centre, capturing his childhood memories in paint along with the town’s culture and history. Born in Narrogin and raised on a Wickepin farm, Jemone Davenport is excited to return home to paint a self-designed mural on Narrogin Leisure Centre’s eastern wall after the Shire of Narrogin selected his proposal from nine applicants. First proposed in October 2023 by the Townscape Advisory Committee, the Shire of Narrogin Council decided to award the $106,140 project to Davenport at their most recent meeting on July 24. Davenport and his assistant Adam Cicanese are set to begin painting this November and expect the project to take three to four weeks. The artist said he was warmed when offered his first opportunity to create a piece of art near his hometown after 15 years of large-scale work. Davenport was briefed on broad community elements the shire would like to incorporate but was ultimately given free rein to create a design around his and the locals’ fondest memories and important moments. “I think you need to be from a farm or country town to appreciate and understand what that’s all about rather than an outsider’s perspective and painting,” he said. “I hope I encapsulate them as a community, young and old, whatever your interest may be. “There’s a delicate balance not to make it overcrowded but trying to capture what is important to those in the community.” The mural will depict the resilience of the community during the 2022 fires, the historical significance of Narrogin’s rail system, the Narrogin Hawks football club, the Wheatbelt community’s rich farming roots, native wildflowers, and an Aboriginal artwork in collaboration with a local artist. To paint the 300sqm mural, Davenport will either project his design onto the wall or paint a grid on to it and fill it in, starting with exterior rollers to paint the base and then using spray paint for the main design.