Creation of the project
by Gabriele Crema
President Greythorn Traders Association
The project idea and implementation was embraced and approved by the Greythorn Traders Association in 2020. The committee is made up of business owners and operators of Greythorn businesses:
- President: Gabriele Crema
- Vice President: Terry Zafirou
- Secretary: Rita Alessio
- Treasurer: Joseph Yap
- Committee members: Paula Monaco, Scott Huang, Michael Costanzo
The sculptor was Shlomit Moria in 2020, the Greythorn Traders Association applied and was awarded a $10,000 grant from Boroondara City Council Community Strengthening Grants Scheme to progress this project.
Over the years, shopping strips have faced enormous pressure and competition from major shopping centres to remain attractive, viable and inviting to shoppers. Greythorn is no different. It is located on Doncaster Road extending from Harrington Avenue and Sylvander Streets in the east and Trentwood Avenue in the west. It is home to some 80 plus businesses.
The shopping centre is only a few short kilometres and on the road to Doncaster Shoppingtown, a major, modern competitor to the cosy style of Greythorn Central shopping strip.
The amenity of Greythorn as a shopping destination was further enhanced from 2010 onwards when a modern public toilet facility was installed near the Trentwood shops. It was later artistically redeveloped to resemble one of the traditional architecture styles of the area. The new Aldi shopping complex was built in 2017 with 34 residential apartments. Boroondara City Council built the $17 million Greythorn Hub in 2018 and in 2018-2019 council spent $1 million to refurbish the shopping centre’s footpaths, create seated spaces and install new garden plantings illuminated by night lighting.
With so much funding being channelled into Greythorn and the face of a sleepy high street shopping centre continually evolving, the Greythorn Traders Association looked at ways to preserve the past and create a lasting legacy of the history of Greythorn that gives shoppers a journey across the ages. The idea of creating historical statues who are linked to the people, businesses, and places of Greythorn over the decades was born.
History of Greythorn | Meet the Faces of Greythorn | Project Creators