Giant sculpture to revitalise Greytown green space

A BOLD STATEMENT: Jan Eagle, of the Friends of Stella and Sarah committee member, with the miniature of the cabbage tree sculpture to be placed outside Stella Bull park in Greytown.

A 'daughter of Greytown' is on a mission to turn the town's green space into the community hub her mother dreamed of -- starting with a giant cabbage tree.

As part of a plan to revitalise the historic Stella Bull Park and Sarah's Garden, a life sized metal sculpture, in the shape of a cabbage tree, is to be installed on the Main St frontage of the park.

The sculpture, designed by Carterton artist Niko Thomsen, was devised by the Friends of Stella and Sarah committee -- both to honour the park's heritage and improve its visibility.

The project is particularly poignant for Friends of Stella and Sarah member Jan Eagle -- whose mother Stella Bull, the park's namesake, fought to preserve the park and Sarah's Garden until her death.

"My mum wanted the park to be used," Ms Eagle said.

"She envisioned it to be a resting place, somewhere people could go and just breathe, and for the garden to help feed the community. This will help finish Mum's dream."

Stella Bull Park started life as a garden for local Maori, who cultivated and harvested cabbage trees as a food source.

The park was purchased in the 1850s by early settler and first Greytown mayor Thomas Kempton, who later built a cottage on the land for his daughter Sarah Dunn.

Sarah became well-known for her vast and prolific garden, full of fruit trees, vegetable patches and wild flowers.

"She was the epitome of living off the land," Ms Eagle said.

Following Sarah's death, the park and garden were cared for by the Greytown Beautifying Society, under the leadership of keen gardener and ardent environmentalist Stella Bull -- who later gifted the area to the then Greytown Borough Council for recreational use.

The Beautifying Society continued to maintain the gardens until Stella's death in 1972 -- and the area remained largely under-utilised until the South Wairarapa District Council began redeveloping the area in 2011.

Despite significant improvements, Ms Eagle said the park still goes mostly unnoticed and unappreciated by the community. She hoped the 3m high cabbage tree sculpture would attract the attention of passersby and encourage them to look beyond the street frontage.

"It's a very strong piece -- it grabs you. It's symbolic as well, it represents a part of our heritage and the philosophy of living off the land. We want people to see it, and walk through the park, not past it."

Ms Eagle hoped the space would be used as a community garden, with its flourishing vegetable garden and heritage plum, apple and citrus trees.

"The garden had a particularly large zucchini crop last season.

"It's there for people to pick for themselves -- it's what Sarah would have wanted."

Ms Eagle said the cabbage tree sculpture would cost around $40,000, with funds already pledged by Fresh Choice Greytown, David Borman and the Aratoi Foundation.