Category: MIL-OSI

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Canberra is lucky enough to be home to many art galleries and museums. However, there are pockets of amazing outdoor art sprinkled all over the city.

Tuggeranong is no exception. Here are some of the amazing artworks you can see right in your own neighbourhood:

Tuggeranong Pumphouse

Artist: Dai Cameron and AJ
Location: Cowlishaw Street, Greenway 

The artists taught aerosol painting skills to Tuggeranong College students while completing this artwork. It features freshwater cray from the nearby lake and inspiration from nature in the area.

The piece is also inspired by graffiti styles from the legal graffiti wall scene that started in the late 1990s to early 2000s in Canberra. The style is a mashup of a style of fast graffiti called future funk.

Find out more about Dai Cameron.

Unnamed mural

Artist: David Cragg
Location: Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club, 101 Cowlishaw Street, Greenway

This mural is one of three painted at the Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club. Artist David Cragg mentored a group of ‘silver sprayers’ (older artists), from the Seniors Centre to paint the walls. The artwork depicts eye-catching local wildlife with mountain ranges in the distance.

To see more of David’s work, check out his Instagram .

Platypus Story toilet block

Artist: Kristie Peters
Location: Mortimer Lewis Drive, Greenway

Local Wiradjuri artist Kristie Peters digitally designed this mural.

The vinyl wrap mural depicts our native platypus. Kristie says, the platypus represents individuality and encourages our community to be unique.

See more of Kristie’s work here.

Unnamed mural

Artist: Geoff Filmer
Location: Kambah ACT Government depot, Chirnside Circuit, Kambah

Artist Geoff Filmer depicts a blend of fauna and flora painted at the Kambah depot. The work incorporates earthy colours which invites viewers to appreciate the detailed fauna and flora, like the cockatoo.

To see more of David’s work, check out his Instagram.

Firestorm Story Tree

Artist: Bryan Carrick and Mount Taylor Estate community
Location: Between Ammonn and Bolden Places, off Sulwood Drive, Kambah

This artwork was carved on one of the trees that was left standing after the 18 January 2003 firestorm. It’s a symbol of the community’s spirit and resilience.

Find out more.

Kambah Sheep

Artist: Matthew Harding
Location: Kambah Village Shopping Centre, corner of Drakeford Drive and Marconi Crescent, Kambah

This work includes not only sheep, but also:

• Christmas beetles
• a sheep dog
• hardwood poles inlaid and marked with found farmyard objects.

Artist Matthew Harding was inspired by the rural history of the area.

Find out more.

Moth Ascending the Capital

Artist: Alexander Knox
Location: Drakeford Drive median at Summerland and O’Halloran Circuits, Kambah

Alexander Knox designed this sculpture to represent a bogong moth bursting into flight.

Find out more.

Gathering Place

Artist: Wellspring with Brian Carrick
Location: Mortimer Lewis Drive, East Tuggeranong Lake

Gathering Place is part of a recreational and ceremonial place. The creators intended the space to encourage reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the region.

Find out more.

We Are Fishes

Artist: Andrew Townsend
Location: Corner of Reed and Cowlishaw Streets, Tuggeranong

This is a pair of fishes that swim in the air between Tuggeranong Arts Centre and Lake Tuggeranong. The sculpture is made from a pair of wind vanes.

Find out more.

Decollete

Artist: Michael Le Grand
Location: Manning Clark Offices, Tuggeranong

This is another nautical-themed work reflecting the design of Tuggeranong Arts Centre. This sculpture was intended to be at entrance to the Centre. Following changes to the entryway, Decollete moved to its current location.

Find out more.

Angel Wings

Artist: Phil Price
Location: Corner of Soward Way and Drakeford Drive, Tuggeranong

This 10-metre-tall sculpture features aerodynamic wings that move in response to the wind. The sculptor described it as a celebration of being alive.

Find out more.

Discover more public art in Canberra or find street art and graffiti in your area .

Ainslie artist Heather Aspinall knows what it’s like to benefit from another’s generous act.

This DonateLife Week – Sunday 28 July to Sunday 4 August – she shares her story to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation.

Heather’s journey

In 2018, Heather was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition.

“Alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency (AATD) is a condition that usually affects the lungs, but in some people causes irreparable liver damage (cirrhosis),” Heather said.

“It took a few months for it to sink in that I was, in fact, dying and that transplant was my only chance to survive.”

In the years following her diagnosis, Heather was extremely unwell.

She had to have large amounts of fluid drained weekly from her abdomen. She was also treated for aneurysms.

While on the transplant list, Heather and her husband, Steve, waited patiently for ‘the call’.

It came in January 2023. A donor liver was available.

“In many ways I struggled a lot with the idea that someone else would have to die for me to live and that I did not feel worthy of all that sacrifice and effort,” she said.

“There is no greater gift, nothing more generous than to save another person’s life with the gift of your organs or tissue.”

Life post-transplant

Eighteen months on and Heather’s health continues to improve gradually.

“Before the transplant my life was basically being a full-time medical patient,” she said.

“I am feeling much better than I used to. I’m walking up to 3km a day and looking forward to being able to return to dance classes and ice-skating soon.

“My adult son is getting married later this year and every part of me is grateful that I will be alive to see it and be there for him to share in his joy and happiness. One day soon I hope to be able to hold a grandchild in my arms and know how precious life is to be able to do so.”

A second chance at life

Four in five Australians say they support organ donation, however, only 27 per cent of Canberrans have registered their wishes on the Australian Organ Donor Register, which is below the national average.

Heather urges everybody to register during DonateLife Week.

“It is such an easy way to become somebody’s hero! You don’t need to be a superhero, just a kind person with a generous heart (maybe literally!),” she said.

“Every day, there are many occasions when I have to think to myself, I’m here because of the grace, kindness and generosity of my donor and their family, and whisper ‘thank you, donor’ to myself.”

Register now

It only takes one minute to register as an organ and tissue donor at donatelife.gov.au or with three taps on Express Plus Medicare app.

^{Heather before (left) and after her transplant.}

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The ACT Government’s Sustainable Household Scheme (SHS) has generated over $46.9 million in savings for Canberrans.

The SHS provides zero-interest loans to help with the costs of energy-efficient upgrades.

Since it began in July 2021, savings have been achieved through products including:

• rooftop solar systems
• batteries
• ceiling insulation
• replacement of gas or inefficient electric appliances with efficient electric appliances.

The SHS has also supported Canberrans to buy electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

The upgrades are resulting in energy bill and fuel cost savings.

The Sustainable Household Scheme

Through the SHS, eligible Canberrans have access to up to $15,000 in zero-interest loans.

Loans can be used on a range of energy-efficient upgrades, such as:

• efficient heating and cooling
• cooktops and hot water systems
• solar panels
• battery storage
• electric vehicles
• ceiling insulation.

Savings across Canberra

New data shows the approximate spread of these savings across the ACT.

Tuggeranong leads the way with $12.3 million saved on bills so far.

• Tuggeranong: $12.3m
• Belconnen: $12.2m
• Gungahlin: $10.1m
• Canberra Central: $3.4m
• Weston Creek: $3.1m
• Woden: $3.1m
• Molonglo: $2.3m
• Rest of ACT: $0.3m

Rooftop solar is particularly popular. Approximately 58 per cent of solar installations in the ACT since the start of the SHS used an SHS loan.

Reducing costs and emissions

The SHS has approved over $225 million in loans and supported the installation of over 19,000 sustainable upgrades since it began.

This not only saves households money on energy bills, but it also helps reduce the territory’s emissions.

The SHS contributes to the ACT achieving a sustainable, resilient future, with a target of net zero emissions by 2045.

It is a key part of the Government’s strategy to lower emissions and tackle climate change, while supporting ACT homes to reduce power bills and growing jobs in the region’s renewable energy industry.

Find out more about the SHS at climatechoices.act.gov.au/policy-programs/sustainable-household-scheme

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