Dubbo School students are leaving their permanent mark on a fixture of the New Dubbo Bridge by placing their handprints on the huge stormwater pipes being installed as part of the project.
Dubbed the ‘Mega Pipes’ event, it saw students taking part in the first event held on Thursday, 9 May 2024.
Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said the initiative would also be a celebration of the community’s rich Aboriginal culture.
“To recognise the heritage of our First Nations people in Dubbo, we will be using Aboriginal paint colours of red, yellow and black to imprint handprints on the outside of the pipe creating a colourful mural,” Mr Lunn said.
“The stormwater pipes, which are 1.8 metres in diameter, will be installed beneath the new Newell Highway alignment on the western side of the Macquarie River, and will ultimately play a vital role in ensuring the flood immunity of the new road alignment.
“The pipes will be buried underground meaning the handprints of the specially selected students will forever be part of this once-in-a lifetime project.”
The student event is the first in a planned series inviting other schools and Aboriginal groups to also leave their mark with a series of events to further strengthen the connection to the Dubbo Bridge project.
The Dubbo bridge project has nearly 30% Aboriginal employment which is changing lives in Dubbo.
Robert Riley local Aboriginal community member said “Government should be very keen to replicate this type of engagement across all communities, far too often opportunities are missed because of the lack of true Aboriginal consultation and engagement.
Transport for NSW and Abergeldie from the outset connected with the Aboriginal community and those early conversations are leading to real jobs and procurements for Aboriginal local businesses”.
