Canberra's mural man Geoff Filmer has created a bright, interactive mural for a new early intervention autism centre in Garran.
Geoff, whose son Gus, 10, has autism, painted the 20-metre-long mural in the playground of the still under-construction centre, with a whimsical rendering of Canberra plants and wildlife, landmarks and nods to sporting teams, with hot air balloons in the colours of the Brumbies, Raiders and Cavalry. Skywhale also gets a spot, as does the arboretum's Wide Brown Land sculpture.
The mural was unveiled ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on Friday.
Geoff said he included several blackboards on the mural so each day children could add their own artistic endeavours. He also simplified his style of painting so the children didn't feel too overwhelmed to contribute and were inspired to be part of it.
Geoff said his own son Gus was in a special class of seven at Gowrie Primary and thriving. He knew what early intervention teaching could do to help children with autism become "successful members of the community".
"I'm pretty sure if I was going through school now, I would be diagnosed with autism and ADHD. It's partly why I do what I do," Geoff said.
"I had a really tough schooling life and I've seen what a difference early intervention can make for kids being able to cope with the mainstream and that's really fantastic.
"I know people who have relocated from Canberra to Queensland to go to one of these [AEIOU centres] because of their standing . And for John James [Foundation] to bring it to Canberra and give it to the community, it's just amazing."
The centre will support up to 40 children with autism aged two to six. It is due to open in mid-July.
It was made possible with capital funding from the John James Foundation. The foundation's CEO Joe Roff said the mural was joyful and amazing, given to the centre by Geoff at a heavily discounted rate.
"We've been absolutely blown away by the community support for this project," he said.
"This wasn't in the initial scope, so to have a world-class mural here, as part of the centre, is another bonus we didn't expect and which we're very thankful for."
Mr Roff said it was only through Canberra stepping up that the centre has become a reality. One of the big contributors had been the builders, Project Coordination, which was represented at the mural unveiling on Wednesday by project manager Domenic Malfone.
"This is a world-class service that is a gap in Canberra and it was always the John James Foundation's goal to bring that service to Canberra but we needed support from the community," he said.
"We get it from the builders and Dom, Project Coordindation. We get it from all of the suppliers, who have donated both time and resources to the project and saved the foundation an enormous amount of money in creating the build.
"I think Canberra's the best community in the world for people wanting to support good causes and this is as good a cause as it gets."
AEIOU's Canberra region manager Enia Alberto said applicants for the centre were put on a wait-list and each child would be then assessed to see if they were suitable for the centre. She expected the centre to be operating by mid-July.
Miss Alberto said the mural had "brought life to the playground".
"I loved it the first time I saw it," she said.
Miss Alberto echoed Geoff Filmer's comments by saying the centre was about giving children with autism the skills to live successfully in the community.
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