Lacking support, artist to leave a parting gift
VETERAN of the Cairns arts scene, Jennie Scott will bid farewell to the Far North in April, taking 55 years of fond memories and accomplishments with her.
Ms Scott has lived on and off in Cairns since 1964 and has been an active member of the arts community since 1966.
Now, citing a lack of support for the arts community from local government, she has made the difficult decision to move back to the United Kingdom.
“I’m going to miss it, I permanently moved here in 1999,” she said.
“I wanted to be in Cairns for a long time, since I was 10.
“It was a difficult decision to make, I really do love it here and I’ve made some wonderful friends.”
One of the final works Ms Scott will leave behind is a long-running project to create a statue of a horse using scrap metal salvaged from the old Babinda mill.
Ms Scott said she chose a horse as a tribute to the town’s history.
“The Canegrowers Association loved the idea; they all acknowledge the role the old cane cutter played in the town history, but never the horse that did the hard work,” she said. “They didn’t have massive engines back in the early days, everything was pulled, ploughed and built off the back of the horse.”
Ms Scott visited the mill when it was being demolished four years ago to gather material for the sculpture, with permission from the demolition company and constant supervision from the workers.
She spent the next four years working on welding it together, no easy feat for a 73year old great grandmother in the tropical sun.
“I worked on it with a welder friend from Babinda and he and I have been sweltering and surrounded by March flies trying to get it finished in time,” she said.
“At first I had the support from the council, then they pulled out which meant I could not get a grant without their support.
“I have now finished the sculpture, and is ready for its new home, although it may not be situated in Babinda.
“Let the vibrant history of Babinda be remembered through this sculpture; do not let it die with the demolished Babinda Mill.”