We've seen plenty of wildlife at Corrigans over the years – streetlight-perched pelicans, dolphins diving the drift line, and belligerent gulls burgling burgers and chips – but we never expected to see a gorilla in the lineup.
Yet here she sits, a picture of maternal calm, magnificently unbothered by the twinkling carnival lights flickering like fireflies behind her.
Public art should lure, not lecture. So it is with Mina, the 1.2-tonne eastern lowland gorilla bronze installed at Corrigans Beach Reserve late last year. And ever since we've watched a constant stream of clambering kids, posing teens, lingering adults and chatting strangers. She's a visitors' Insta must-have – without that Mina selfie were you even at Batehaven? Photoshop subs skyrocketed as local businesses and community groups rushed out digital restyles promoting their offerings.
But this hunk of gleaming sculptural muscle is more than a meeting point and conversation starter. She's one of 22 sculptures donated to Eurobodalla by international artists Gillie and Marc, their Wild About Babies series gently reminding us about those extraordinary creatures holding on by the thinnest of silken threads. Endangered shouldn't mean invisible: Mina is equal parts spectacle, stewardship and soul – and we're all a little bit in love.
Mina is the second of our Gillie and Marc sculptures out in public; the first was The Splendid Fairywren Loved Adventure at Narooma's Nata Oval. The remaining sculptures will be installed as time and resources permit. Joining them are the bush wallaby and the Arctic fox, both located on Council grounds at Moruya.
This story was first published in Council's quarterly newsletter for residents, Living in Eurobodalla . A printed edition is delivered to Eurobodalla's 26,000 households.
