1980

In 1980, Waverley Council enthusiastically commissioned Public Art Squad team members Rodney Monk, David Humphries, Wayne Hutchings and Kristine Ammitzboll to create an iconic mural that’d be an integral part of the courtyard of the Bondi Pavilion’s community cultural centre. The enterprising artists involved the community in both developing the concept and painting the mural. They gave illustrated talks about murals and solicited ideas and involvement at local high schools and for local community groups. They also held a series of open community workshops at the Pavilion and asked the attendees to nominate the things they loved about Bondi.

In the hedonistic 1920s, Bondi was the playground of the Pacific, and the Pavilion was a stylish entertainment centre. Little wonder, then, that the ‘Bondi the Beautiful’ theme that developed was rich in ’20s imagery of rugged lifesavers, bathing beauties, local characters, sun-soaked buildings, and natural elements such as carefree birds and dolphins. To excite people about the possibilities, the Public Art Squad team began by projecting images on the Pavilion’s walls at night, in a relaxed way that proved effective because there was a rise in the number of regulars who were keen to grab a paintbrush and start painting.

With his fellow team members, Rodney designed the mural ‘to scale’ and created a grid and colour-coding system for transferring the design to the wall. He remembers the project fondly: “Girls in bikinis would be up scaffolding with a paintbrush in one hand and a gelato in the other. Young artists and students would paint for a few hours, go for a swim and then be back to paint again. The social interaction was fascinating as people wandered in to help, wanting to add, say, a dolphin or a bird. The artistic director exercises quality control – you work with the painters to see how they go, and refine the rough edges and dribbles, but respect the integrity of what they’ve done – and you keep the whole thing cohesive.”

‘Bondi the Beautiful’– all 625 square metres of it – quickly became one of Australia’s most photographed walls. It stood testament to 20th-century community spirit and the timelessness of the pleasure principle, Aussie style, that’s been unique to Sydney’s beloved Bondi Beach since the Roaring Twenties.

Courtesy Public Art Squad, David Humphries, Rodney Monk and the Waverley Library Local Studies Collection