• Berwick Gazette
• Pakenham Gazette

By Kara Irving

3rd February 2010 02:00:08 AM

Holly Morris will show off her bushfire art this month. Picture: Donna Oates

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GARFIELD Primary School captain Holly Morris gets a little nervous when the temperature tops 40 degrees.

The Grade 6 student, along with her peers, was recently asked to reminisce about the experiences of Black Saturday in February last year and later produce either a poem or painting to represent the devastation felt on that fateful day.

To help commemorate the event’s first anniversary, the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham will feature the artwork and poetry of students across the Cardinia Shire in a three-week Bushfire Memorial Art exhibition.

Late last year students from Garfield, Bunyip and Nar Nar Goon worked alongside Australian artists Barry Dickens and Tara Kingston to produce artwork inspired by the emotions felt by those affected by the Bunyip State Park fire and bushfires in general.

Members of the Kooweerup Men’s Shed will also feature in the exhibition, crafting hand-made frames to compliment the student artwork.

As a budding artist, Holly was more than keen to produce a painting which would reflect her memories of Black Saturday.

“We own a lot of horses and it’s not so easy getting large animals in your car (to escape the fire)”, Holly said.

Holly also talked about how the different art pieces produced by students in her class represented unique experiences of that fateful day.

The ‘Bushfire Memorial Artwork’ will exhibit at the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Lakeside Pakenham between 9 and 16 February. Entry is free.

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