Uranquinty Water Tower Project
Commemorating the unique history of our village
Background Information
Uranquinty Progress Association hosted the official opening of the water tower mural situated on the corner of Uranquintry and Best Streets on Thursday 24 August at 10.00am followed by morning tea at the Uranquinty Community Hall. We were honoured to welcome Len Waters’ daughter Julia, who tavelled from Queensland to be at the event, and members of her family. Also present was Air Vice-Marshall Glen Braz, Air Commander Australia and representatives from RAAF Wagga Wagga and RAAF Point Cook, Victoria, who all have a connection with Uranquinty and its role in training pilots in WW2. Michael McCormack MP and the Mayor of Wagga Wagga City Council, Dallas Tout also attended as well as students from Uranquinty Public School and representatives from all our sponsors who made this project possible. After a traditional smoking ceremony and the formalities were complete we were treated to a flypast at 10.30am of a RAAF Wirraway aircraft to mark the occasion.
An exhibition of paintings by students of Uranquinty Public School was on view at the community hall, and artefacts and photographs relating to Uranquinty and its history were also on view. We are grateful to the Uranquinty Evening CWA ladies for providing morning tea and to the Quinty Bakery for also supplying food.
UPA would like to express our gratitude to everyone who came to the ceremony and especially to all the volunteers who have been involved in the process of getting the mural completed. So many peope have helped in many ways, from working on the eco-garden, mowing the area, the Quinty Mens Shed for laying the memorial pavers at the tower and hopefully at the Cenotaph in the near future. It has been a very busy two years, but we are very happy with the result which reflects our history and is already attracting visitors from the Riverina and beyond. Thank you all and we look forward to seeing more visitors coming to see the tower as part of the Australian Silo and Art Trail.
Media coverage of the event can be found on Facebook at WIN News and Prime7News and an article in the Daily Advertiser of 25 August 2023 can be found in the photo gallery below.
Discover the Artist
Memorial Fundraiser Pavers
Help us raise funds to paint a mural reflecting the history of Uranquinty on the Water Tower at the corner of Best and Uranquintry Streets. Pavers will be laid at the Wirraway Park, near the statue of the Migrant woman and child. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this project, the order is about to be placed with the supplier so if you want to order a paver please do so by 28 February 2023. Once we have ordered and received the pavers we will need help from community members to install them – do we have any local bricklayers who could help!
Offer 1 : $40
INDIVIDUAL PAVER
Your donation of $40.00 or more entitles you to have your name engraved into a paver as a lasting record of your valued support.
The paver will be permanently installed in Wirraway Park, Uranquinty proudly showing your donation.
Size: 230 x 115 x 50mm
Offer 2 : $80
DOUBLE PAVER
Your donation of $80 or more entitles you to have your names engraved into two pavers as a lasting record of your valued support.
The paver will be permanently installed in Wirraway Park, Uranquinty proudly showing your donation.
Size: 230 x 230x 50mm
Get your paver here
Offer 3 : $100
TRIPLE PAVER
Your donation of $100.00 or more entitles you to have your names engraved into three pavers as a lasting record of your valued support.
The paver will be permanently installed in Wirraway Park, Uranquinty proudly showing your donation.
Size: 230 x 345 x 50mm
Offer 4 : $130
FOUR PAVER
Your donation of $130 or more entitles you to have your names engraved into four pavers as a lasting record of your valued support.
The paver will be permanently installed in Wirraway Park, Uranquinty proudly showing your donation.
Size: 230 x 460 x 50mm
Story of the eco-cultural garden
The land at the base of the Uranquinty Tower on Uranquintry Street was targeted some years ago as the site of a proposed eco-cultural garden to encourage local residents to develop and maintain the garden and make it a focal point of the community.
Funding was obtained through Uranquinty Progress Association and initial work was carried out on the land, owned by Riverina Water. .
Work was done on creating paths and preparing the site for planting of appropriate native plants provided by Wagga Nursery and Riverina TAFE. Local Aboriginal elders were involved in the choice of plantings.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to continue the project because of sustained drought and a lack of regular maintenance to ensure the plants survived. Consequently the site is now in need of some maintenance and replanting and we hope this work will encourage the community to become engaged with this project.
UPA believes the suggestion to paint a mural on the water tower is an achievable outcome which could reinvigorate the eco-cultural garden project and provide an incentive for the local community to work with Uranquinty Progress Association in making this an attraction for local people and encourage visitors to come to the village.
