12 December 2022

Casuarina Square has partnered with Anglicare NT and Proper Creative to brighten the centre with an entertaining and colourful mural near the Woolworths entrance.

Proper Creative’s artist Caleb Dude has been working alongside a talented group of kids as part of Anglicare NT’s #U-Turn program to bring to life a beautiful design that represents the good and bad of NT’s seasons in a comedic and light-hearted way.

#U-Turn is part of the Territory Families Housing & Communities ‘Back on Track’ initiative, supporting young people between 8 and 17 years of age by providing positive pathways that divert young people from the youth justice system and work with young people to develop skills and tools they can take into adulthood. The murals created by #U-Turn allow these young people to create something they are proud of while also giving back to the community.

#U-Turn Manager Phil Coyle expresses that “The concept of being in the shopping centre with the chance to be noticed doing positive things in the community worked well for some of the young people.

“When the young people saw passers-by pay attention to the artwork it encouraged them to try as hard as possible and they seemed to take genuine pride in the finished piece.”

“Two young lads appeared to develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to complete a high-level piece of mural art and seemed to respect the process it involves.”

Casuarina Square’s Centre Manager, Polly Lamond, has said “Casuarina Square is constantly seeking new and exciting ways to engage in our community and provide meaningful support to organisations such as Anglicare NT, so they can continue running programs and initiatives that positively influence the lives of people in our community.”

“We hope this program not only brightens the walls of Casuarina Square but also brings attention to the #U-Turn program and the accomplishments of these young people.”