St Leonards installs aluminium pelican statue as a part of town renovation

A municipality area in Australia, St Leonards has been given a thorough makeover with the mounting of the latest lighting, new pave way systems, 900 freshly planted saplings and most importantly, an aluminium pelican statue that captures the hawk-eye view of the entire landscape.

The revered Victorian coastal town of St Leonards has seen a significant investment of US$720,000 as an integral part of the elongated project scheme laid by the City of Greater Geelong Council.

The Mayor, Trent Sullivan, commented: “These improvements will offer a safer and more enjoyable experience for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers whether they live in St Leonards or visit for holidays.”

The pelican structure has been sculpted by a visual artist Martin Moore, who has kept environmental consciousness in mind while constituting this fantastic work of art. To reduce the carbon footprint of the statue, the pelican has been sand cast, and melted aluminium has been poured into shaping it. Mr Moore made good use of recycled aluminium to strengthen his sustainability motto. Moreover, aluminium has a more straightforward casting process than regular metals like bronze and steel would instil.

Since the non-ferrous metal can be infinitely recycled, thus this pelican statue can also be deemed as a 100% recyclable aluminium artwork. The pelican’s aluminium construct is extraordinarily robust and has an attractive appearance.

The entire project has been crucial to refurbishing the central retail zone, Bluff Avenue, The Esplanade and Murradoc Road, alongside enhancing foreshore pathways.

The project also includes the installation of three CCTV cameras, a thousand street lights, nine-hundred saplings, ten trees, new seating zones, pedestrian crossings and one smart pole. The project also looked after the safe laying of 300 metres of new electrical cabling and communication systems alongside 800 square metres of new pedestrian pavements and drainage works.

An exceptional amount of US$650,000 was contributed by the City of Greater Geelong for the accomplishment of the project. In comparison, the Victorian Government spent US$100,000 on the latest ‘wombat’ crossings on Blanche Street and Murradoc Road. Lastly, the Federal Government lent out US$70,000 for the perfect instalment of CCTV cameras along the main streets for augmented security.