A wall in Australia’s country music capital keeps family legacies alive

The mirror image of her mother, Anne Kirkpatrick proudly sings the melodies of one of her parents’ most iconic musical collaborations, Lights on the Hill.

Joy McKean was awarded the first-ever Golden Guitar award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1973 for the iconic song written for her husband, Slim Dusty.

The song’s lyrics have now been immortalised in Australia’s country music capital in the form of a new mural of McKean titled Ode to Joy at Tamworth’s Town Hall.

While Lights on the Hill might be considered McKean’s masterpiece, it is just one of many hit songs written by the Australian country music star.

“The fact that the song has lasted and everyone sings it still, after she wrote it in the early 70s, it’s a testimony to the great song,” Kirkpatrick said.

Performing at the mural’s official opening, Kirkpatrick said she hoped passers-by recognised the impact her parents had on country music.

“She was a great songwriter and an incredible person.

Mural captures star’s ‘spirit’

The mural depicts McKean singing happily as well as a portrait with her husband and other symbols of her iconic country music legacy.

Mural artist Charlie Nivison worked alongside McKean’s children to create the mural, wanting to ensure he captured her essence correctly.

“I’m totally overwhelmed; he’s [Nivison] just captured the spirit of my mum and my dad in this mural, it’s an incredible piece of work,” Kirkpatrick said.

Joy and Slim’s son, David Kirkpatrick, said he hoped the mural’s viewers recognised the musical history of his parents and Tamworth.

“This is a very important site because it’s opposite the town hall where the first Golden Guitar was awarded to Joy,” he said.

“They were very important to the success of the first awards and they backed it all the way.”

Another family legacy behind the paint

Looking up at his creation, Nivison could not help but reflect on the family legacy lying behind the paint.

In 1983, his father, Angus, was commissioned by the Tamworth Regional Council to paint a mural on the car park wall of Tamworth Town Hall.

The money he made funded his plane ticket across the world to go after the girl of his dreams.

“The money dad earned from doing the commission in ’83 allowed him to travel to go see mum overseas when he proposed,” Nivison said.

“It was the wall that allowed him to go chase mum. Who knows if I’d be here if it wasn’t for the wall, the council and this mural.”

Now, years later, Charlie Nivison has been commissioned by the council just like his father was, to create a new colourful celebration of the city.

The Nivison family said the mural was a full-circle moment, bringing together father and son’s artistic endeavours.

Angus Nivison said it was about time his mural was recommissioned and it was a total surprise that his son would be the artist to take his brushstrokes to the wall.

“I’m a very proud dad, I think it’s lovely, I love it and I’m under no pressure at all,” he laughed.

“It ties in the first winner and the beginnings of what made Tamworth the word on everybody’s lips.”

Charlie Nivison hopes to pass the paintbrush onto the next generation of Nivison artists.

“Public art is such an amazing thing and it just creates community, a sense of belonging and culture,” he said.