'Potholes before sculptures': The ambitious proposal for Wagga's giant crow ruffles a few feathers

If nothing else, former Wagga Wagga resident and filmmaker Daniel Brunskill has managed to get the city talking about his bold idea to build Australia’s biggest ‘Big Thing’ in the Riverina city.

The revelation in The Daily Advertiser on Saturday of a proposal for a $12 million giant crow in Bolton Park sparked a lively debate online and some confusion as to who was behind it.

A number of outraged readers, unable to read the full story behind the site’s paywall, mistakenly took aim at Wagga City Council for frivolous spending.

As the keyboard warriors demanded they “fix the potholes first”, Wagga City Council released a statement declaring that they are “not behind the ‘giant crow’”.

“Wagga City Council does not have any connection to the giant crow idea, although council staff have met with Mr Brunskill who has put the idea forward,” they said.

“Council would like to assure the community that it has not expended any funds on the concept nor is it a project that is being undertaken by council.”

Mr Brunskill said it was unfortunate that people jumped to conclusions and stressed that his mega-project would be 100 per cent privately funded.

“Because this is a really ambitious idea that’s just come out of the blue, and there’s been no build-up, I think people were like – what? We don’t have enough money for that,” he said.

“Our focus is trying to get this funded entirely by the private sector because we want public funds to be dedicated to those community assets that definitely need it in a time like this.”

The enormous crow has a proposed wingspan of 80 metres and a community centre at its base that Mr Brunskill said would become a cultural and recreational space positioned strategically in Bolton Park to leverage its high exposure.

He conceded that there was some scepticism but said he had overwhelmingly positive feedback and a worthwhile meeting with the council.

“Wagga City Council have actually officially recorded this idea into their community strategic plan, which will be released mid-2025, so that’s a really significant step for this idea,” Mr Brunskill said.

“Our preferred site for this structure is Bolton Park, squeezed between all three cricket ovals, but obviously, there’s some concern there that we would impact the recreational space there.

“I’ve been speaking with all levels of government bodies, local MPs, and everybody’s saying the same thing, that it’s definitely a thing that would point Wagga in the right direction and it would impact the local economy in a positive way.”

Mr Brunskill’s Wagga roots go back generations and he said the idea of creating something that would put his hometown on the map has been percolating for years.

In 2020, he made national headlines with his plans for a $20 million ‘Wagga Info Spire’ on top of Willans Hill that would offer panoramic views and include a restaurant and visitor information centre.

“With that idea, I was just putting it out there to see what the community feedback would be and unfortunately there was a lot of negative feedback saying that it was a bit too complex and expensive,” he said.

“But with this project, I’ve been overwhelmed with community support, which is actually radiating signals of – you need to do this.”

But not everyone is keen on having an enormous crow perched on Wagga’s skyline.

Dr Sam Bowker serves on the council’s Public Art Advisory Panel as an industry expert and describes the proposal as a “very bad idea”.

“First, it’s been pitched with generative AI, which means it has no ethical integrity or accountability,” he said.

“Second, it’s hideous and inaccurate. Ravens do not pose like that.”

Dr Bowker warned that the proposal also risked disrespecting local Wiradjuri and First Nations people who had worked to correct the colonial association with “many crows” to translate the name Wagga Wagga as a place of “dance and celebration”.

“Great public art engages visitors and residents with aspects of place that cannot otherwise be seen, it is carefully considered and designed for long-term sustainability,” he said.

“By contrast, this proposal is ridiculous.”

Defending the decision to focus on the crow, Mr Brunskill said other local icons were considered including a giant Chiko Roll and Dame Edna Everidge, but they felt ultimately that the crow connected Wagga’s past, present and future.

“The crow represents and pays tribute to the place of many crows, which Wagga was always known for, but it also puts Wiradjuri culture front and centre and is inspired by the Dreamtime story of Waggan the Great Crow,” he said.

“In that story he speaks that we must all come together and says – if you were only one stick of this nest, you would break under pressure, but as a whole, we can create something beautiful, and that’s really special.

“I want Wagga to be a thriving city, and I want something unique that’s going to pull people to Wagga and help the local economy.”

Watch this space.