Community
16 August, 2024
Turning the town green and gold
WHILE the Olympic Games officially ended last Sunday, Olympic fever continues to affect Camperdown as two sign-writers and together to celebrate local Olympians.
Ian Currell of Currell Signs and Peter Conheady of Mr Sign collaborated on a series of stickers which were distributed on Tuesday to celebrate their efforts.
The stickers which have been placed on the front windows of stores along Manifold Street depict Grace Brown, who won gold in the women’s individual cycling time trial, and Penny Smith, who took home a bronze in the women’s shooting trap.
Mr Conheady said Mr Currell and himself wanted a way to show the town’s pride in the local athletes.
“After the great success of the Australian team at the Olympic Games in Paris, and in particular our local girls Grace Brown and Penny Smith, we wanted to show the girls when they got home that the town was really right behind them and that the town really supported them,” he said.
“We wanted to let them know how much enjoyment we as a community got out of their efforts and their success over in Paris.
“Ian approached me a week or so ago, and we came up with a design between the two of us.
“We meandered around Manifold Street, asking all the shopkeepers if they would like us to put one of these commemorative stickers that we’ve made on their front windows at no charge – Ian and I donated them as a bit of a community goodwill to show the Olympians that the town was really behind them.”
Mr Currell said it was a “great way” of showing the commitment Grace Brown and Penny Smith made to their sports, as well as highlight their success.
“They grew up in this area, and I thought it’d be nice to have something out there that people could just glance at and to see,” he said.
“Just a bit of a reminder – once the TV’s Olympics are finished, it goes pretty quickly into the background.
“This would be a nice little reminder for a few more months.
“It’s really good, but I just feel that it’s recognition for them. That’s what it’s about.”
Mr Conheady said the stickers were a visual way of celebrating another chapter in Camperdown’s Olympic history.
“I know I personally gained a great deal of enjoyment out of watching the Olympics, but in particular when you’ve got some local people participating,” he said.
“Camperdown has such a rich Olympic history dating right back to 1960 when Bill Roycroft won a gold medal in Rome, up to modern-day Olympics where we’ve had Josh Hose win gold medals at the Paralympics and Cameron Rahles-Rahbula had won a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.
“We’ve had Kevin Bradshaw and Clyde Sefton and all the Roycroft boys Camperdown, for a small town has a great tradition in Olympic sports.
“Grace and Penny have certainly continued that.”