Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On my travels around the electorate of Mallee I have the privilege of meeting some outstanding humans. I was recently in St Arnaud, a picturesque town with a great community. While I was there I met Kyle Torney, a local artist who has single-handedly raised the bar for tourism in the region by painting nine murals of local heroes on nine buildings. One of these is on a local cafe, Six2Six, where Kyle's latest artistic installation inspires anyone who loves history and art. Kyle's work is so lifelike; it took my breath away. He brings the character of his subjects to life.

The Six2Six cafe wall depicts Os Sanderson and Matt Batters, two mates who are now in their 90s. They have contributed to the heart and soul of St Arnaud through their love of farming and, for Os, planes. Matt and Os have talked about the introduction of mechanised farming in the Wimmera. These men are local heroes because they have shown how to adapt when things are looking grim. They remember when farmers in the 1940s were still using horse teams because they were cheap to feed, whereas tractors cost petrol and oil. However, the drought in 1945 caused a lot of farmers to switch—just further evidence of the historical resilience and adaptation of Mallee farmers.