Martin Luther King mural, King St Newtown

This Martin Luther King mural was painted over two days in 1991 by Juilee Pryor and Canadian Andrew Aiken. At this time Aiken was on the run from a murder he'd committed in London the previous year. The lower part of the mural was subject to vandalism, often with racist slogans. After a time Aiken filled that section with a painting of the Aboriginal flag.

The land in front of of the mural was owned by Telstra and in 1994 it submitted a development proposal to the local council. This resulted in a community petition to block the application and the council voted to keep the open space. In 2014 the mural achieved heritage status.

The mural is a symbol of inclusiveness which the culture of Newtown celebrates. The suburb is a catchment for minority groups.

Aiken was a committed Christian and some time after painting the mural he joined a Christian commune. Guided by his conscience, in 1996 he returned to London and confessed to the murder. He was sentenced to 12 years gaol and was released in 2005. He now lives with his wife and children in Canada.

The extra is more street art painted on the wall of the Botany View Hotel, our local at the end of our street. Within the lettering are depicted some local symbols - the chimneys of the former brickworks which is now Sydney Park, a train and station, a rugby league player from a non local team (!), terrace houses, and in the first W of Newtown, we have the Martin Luther King mural. It's a testament to the mural's iconic status.

Thanks for hosting Freyjad. Stay well all.