Sheffield Welcomes its Four Year Horizon at 2008

2008 is Sheffield’s Year. Global Association to confer in Tasmania in March

The Global Association’s strategy of nominating host communities for the biennial Global Conferences four years in advance has been welcomed by Sheffield’s Murals Team [known now as SMARTA or Sheffield Murals and Rural Tourism Association]. Taking 2008 as their focus, a programme of activities and completed works has been agreed. John Dyer, who led the successful bid to fellow Association Members in Ely Nevada in August 2004, was back at work watched over by his late mother –in-law, and Teresa was once again in costume dress to conduct all guests around the 2004 MuralsFest works of art – the full collection of nine is shown below.

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SMARTA and sister organisation MuralFest presented their first outline plans for 2008 following their nomination in Ely to the Baron of Prestoungrange, Vice President of the Global Association, when he visited on behalf of Dr Karl Schutz November 14th & 15th 2004 in Sheffield. Local politicians led by the Kentish Mayor and local councillors all pledged their support as did local businessmen responsible for motel accommodation [with new murals of their own, the first shown below] and other major tourism attractions such as Brian Inder's Tasmazia with its lavender farms, mazes and Crackpot Village. Meeting in the Sheffield Hotel the full SMARTA Committee membership agreed to launch the Global MuralsFest in parallel with their own outstandingly successful regional fest – details to be refined at Bowen and Bishop in 2005 and at Prestoungrange in 2006.





The Mayor was especially enthused, identifying that although Lake Barrington had in its time hosted the World Rowing Championships, the hosting of the Global Murals Conference was quite different. Murals were a grass roots movement where the people of the town had themselves made their unique stamp on Australia and the world. Nobody, he said, who visited Sheffield in 2008 would go away disappointed. Quite the reverse.



Media wanted to know .... and to support 2008

The local press media and ABC radio wanted the story and agreed that Sheffield’s nomination was going to be an excellent attraction for Tasmania and Australia. And 2008 is not the only tale to tell. Good fortune smiled on the community in 2004 when the demutualisation of a Tasmanian State Bank created a fund from which $45,000 reached the town to enable it to refurbish the murals suite. One says good fortune rather than good luck because the whole SMARTA enterprise has re-energised itself over the past 3 years bringing in new Committee members whilst not neglecting to honour its founding members too!