The rusting steel panels in this reserve are dedicated to the community of Rhodes, Sydney, a site that has survived decades of toxic waste dumping. Years of repatriation of the nearby bay has resulted in significant vegetation regrowth, and return of birds and animals. 

 

Long journeys are well known in the residents here. The steel panels of this artwork are shaped to resemble a waving handkerchief – of farewells and greetings; communication across a long distance. They point towards the river, a symbol of travel and movement.

 

The bird depicted in the panels is the Bar-Wing Godwit, a traveling bird. This tough little creature flies to Scandinavia and Alaska each year. It rests and feeds in the Homebush Bay area before heading back to the North on its long journey. This amazing bird is listed as a Critically Endangered and Vulnerable species. 

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The geographic symbols cut into the panels represent air, sediment, and are mixed with the scientific symbol for dioxin, one of the toxins still present in the waters of the nearby bay.

Commissioned by City of Canada Bay Council