by Marj Bollinger
Members of the Molong Aadvancement Group were pleased to read in the Express last week the renewed interest in improving the eastern entrance to Molong by painting the silos, a subject that has been an agenda item at our monthly meetings for many years.
The item will be further discussed at the next MAG Meeting in the UPA Hall on Thursday 13th July.
The idea is that the silos and tank be used to tell the story of Yuranigh and Major Mitchell and link the story to Yuranigh’s grave and Major Mitchell’s camp site at Garra to create a tourist circuit around Molong. The story of the relationship between Yuranigh and Mitchell is one of mutual respect and is unique to Molong and the surrounding area.
We have discussed the proposal with Annette Steele Chief Executive Officer of the Orange Aboriginal Land Council who was very receptive towards the idea and has provided further contacts for us to follow up.
Annette is unaware of any photos of Yuranigh however there may be some in other places that we can explore.
For any project to proceed at the silos we will need strong community support for it to become a reality.
The prospect of this being achieved when it is supported by MAG and the Molong Express has to be a very positive starting point given the community support MAG receive from the community at our Street Stalls – next one Friday 7 July – and our Market Days – next 30 July where all funds raised go towards local projects.
We have just travelled through many parts of NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and have seen many silos painted and they look fantastic,are a tourist attraction and it tells a story about the town or area. It also brings many tourists to the towns.
Sorry I forgot to mention I heard about the meeting about whether to paint the silos or not on the radio this morning on our way back home to Grafton. Sounds a great idea.