August Menneke was a blacksmith who migrated from Germany in 1858. Photo: Supplied.
Menneke Park in Estella is set to receive a new and unique public art exhibition.
Revealed at Wagga City Council’s most recent ordinary meeting, the exhibition has been allocated $15,000 as part of the council’s Public Art Plan 2022-2026.
Council’s Manager Community Services Madeleine Scully said the council set aside the money each year as part of the plan and this year’s exhibition was granted to artist Kathy Holowko.
“It’s going to be referencing and talking about the history of the namesake of Menneke Park, who was August Menneke,” she said.
“August Menneke was a blacksmith who migrated from Germany in 1858 and established a really well-renowned blacksmithing shop in North Wagga.
“He was really famous for his bullock bells. The bullock bells were legendary in terms of their pitch and sound. We have a really fine example of one of those bells at the Museum of the Riverina. But in terms of artworks, this is a real opportunity, through this commission, to creatively interpret the history of August Menneke.”
According to several accounts, Mr Menneke was a German migrant who, with his wife Maria, moved to Wagga in 1867, where he set up his forge at North Wagga around 100 metres south of the Black Swan Hotel and a stone’s throw from the river.
Menneke quickly forged a reputation as an excellent wheelwright and blacksmith, and his unique brand of livestock bell, the “Wagga Pot”, became highly sought-after for its clear and distinctive sound.
Menneke Park is the latest location in Wagga to receive a public art exhibition as part of the plan, with previous works including the Tolland Shopping Centre, which depicts Australian flora and fauna.
Ms Scully said it was vital for Wagga Council to remain committed to providing new commissions through the public art plan and to ensure they were distributed right across the local government area.
“It’s really important that we’re able to really work with the public art advisory panel to actually identify opportunities in both established open spaces like Menneke Park ,” she said.
“The importance of public art can be underestimated in terms of how it actually reveals the stories that make us who we are, and also how we celebrate the creative and cultural life of our community.
“We always ensure, with our EOI process, that we really advertise locally as well, especially the opportunities for artists to actually apply and consider the commissioning opportunity.
“It’s really important to actually support both our local artists and really identify opportunities to support their ability to express themselves in what is an incredibly creative city, which is Wagga.”
