Today, Friday 5 March, the final brushstrokes dried on a mural that aims to ensure Canberran pedestrians will be inspired by Olympic BMX rider Caroline Buchananโs homegrown talent and tenacity well into the future.
One of Canberraโs most successful BMX riders, Caroline Buchanan has spent the past year training hard to qualify for her third Olympics, in Tokyo, which would be her last.
The 30-year-oldโs home track is at the Tuggeranong Vikings BMX Club, and it was there she found her love for the sport, before going on to win eight BMX and mountain bike world championships.
The colourful mural at the mouth of Tocumwal Lane, Civic, says โChoose to Challengeโ, which is one of the themes of International Womenโs Day 2021.
Buchanan said the phrase held a lot of meaning for her.
โI was a five-year-old girl who grew up in the sport of BMX, which used to be a boyโs sport,โ she said.
โFor me, Iโve really chosen that path, to be something that I couldnโt see, so for me this really resonates for that little girl who followed that dream all the way to the top to the Olympics.โ
Buchanan is preparing for her โbiggest challenge yetโ, having regained her form and returned to the sport after more than two years recovering from an injury.
The mural was painted by students from Buchananโs old school, Erindale College, with the guidance of local artist Bohie Palecek (known as Bohie), who came up with the bright, bold plan.
โI was definitely trying to capture Carolineโs unbelievable energy with this design,โ Bohie said.
Seven college students between the ages of 16 and 18 worked with Bohie through a series of workshops this week and spent time with Buchanan to hear more about her journey.
Before picking up their brushes to make a few final touches, students Sarah, Lexx, Callum and Emily told Canberra Daily what they will take away from the experience.
For Sarah it was about embracing individuality.
โOne of the main parts I really resonated with was embrace your identity โ in terms of sexuality, culture, who you really are โ and what struggles really make a person who they are,โ she said.
Lexx said they were inspired by collaborating with a practising street artist.
โThe thing I took away most was don’t be just one thing.
โLike, rather than deciding on one path and sticking to it, you can choose to do more than what people tell you you can.โ
โYou can learn anything,โ Callum said. โYou donโt have to limit yourself.โ
Emily was struck by Buchananโs life story, and how many difficulties the famous rider has had to overcome.
โYou just saw her on TV and then she didnโt feel that real until you met her,โ she said.
Bohie found the project equally rewarding.
โWorking with the students, talking about gender equality and talking about breaking gender stereotypes is really important to me,โ she said.
Bohie, who is also a BMX rider, said she grew up in a similar world as Buchanan.
โItโs the same as [with] street art, we didnโt have female role models to look up to.โ
Her work can be found on the PCYC building in Turner, the Kambri district at the Australian National University, Narrabundah 2 Sports Pavilion and inside the University of Canberra.
The wall featuring the mural was provided by the Canberra Centre and the project was funded by the ACT Governmentโs street art program.
The project received additional support from YWCA Canberra.
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