Winging it in welcome win

Brimbank mayor Lucinda Congreve with Furlong Park School students Khadijah, Fadila, Zoe, Mia and Zoubowa sign "Welcome" with the E they created.

By Tate Papworth

A colourful creation by Furlong Park School for Deaf Children pupils has been voted as Brimbank’s favourite.

Pupils from seven primary schools last year decorated a 1.2 metre-high letter from the word “welcome” as part of the council’s “Welcome. We are Brimbank” campaign.

The sign toured Brimbank in December and the community was asked to pick its favourite letter.

Mayor Lucinda Congreve said Furlong Park’s colourful “E” had struck a chord with the community.

“Congratulations to Furlong Park School for Deaf Children for winning the viewer’s choice,” she said.

Furlong Park School for Deaf Children teacher Andria Mavrikakis said the winning piece was a team effort.

“Our students collectively decided to paint the letter ‘E’ in yellow to best capture the word ‘welcome’ because they agreed that the colour yellow signified warmth, fun, happiness and friendliness,” she said.

“Our students decided on the butterfly to represent our unique school community, because a senior student discovered that the word or sign for ‘butterfly’ in Auslan is also the same hand shape for the word welcome,” she said.

“This realisation made the decision to go with the butterfly design definite.”