Local artist and primary teacher Linda Venema has brought Werribee’s history back to life through her recreation of old Watton Street.
The idea for the piece came when restaurateur Elie Touma asked her to create something to hang in his Brothers on K establishment in Werribee South.
After taking a trip to the Werribee District Historical Society and Museum (WDHSM) and inspecting three photos of different parts of Watton Street from the 1800s, she blended aspects of each to settle on a design.
The piece depicts a conceptualisation of Watton Street’s first European settlement.
The painting is 180cm x 90cm and came together in a two-day flurry.
“I thought it was going to take two weeks to do – I kept going and going and going, and then in like two days it was done,“ Venema said.
Several of the buildings captured in the piece still stand today, such as The Park Hotel and WDHSM.
Venema, who has been doing art for over10 years, traces her earliest Australian roots to Werribee, where her grandparents settled after arriving from The Netherlands.
The idea of travelling back through time sparked an interest in the area’s past.
“I hadn’t really thought about it until [Touma] said ’do you want to do old Werribee?’ and I was like actually that’s really interesting to find out more,“ Venema said.
Diners and art dabblers can view the piece at Brothers on K, 1 K Road, Werribee South.
Jaidyn Kennedy
