By Ross Hartley
The 12 penguin-themed trash bins, maintained by the community, are rare examples of seaside street folk art expressing the cultural life associated with its very being. They demonstrate ongoing community pride and initiative honouring and celebrating its namesake, notable among landmarks across Australia. These bins are among the town’s most photographed attractions against the stunning backdrop of Bass Strait.
Penguin now celebrates having had three generations of these penguin-themed bins. The first, created by Penguin Leos in 1981, were tall metal bins painted blue, white and black shaped like a penguin. The rubbish was put in the mouth. These bins were difficult for the public to use and a nuisance for the council to empty. 10 bins were erected.
North-West local artist Jenny-Lee Hutton created the current bins in 1995/96. Superimposing her folk art onto the bins was her challenge. Initially the artwork was painted just one colour but this soon changed in alignment with her vision to imitate the closeness of family and community while lamenting the inevitable loss of Penguin’s unique wildlife due to foreshore urbanisation.
2024 sees the third generation of penguin-themed trash bins thanks to Penguin Composites, a fibreglass business in town.14 in all couple along the CBD shared pathway, one for rubbish the other recyclables.
So, penguin-themed trash bins honouring and celebrating the town’s name and origins have been a feature of Penguin for 42 years.
History records the look and feel of a place, and how these evolve over time. Yesterday will become tomorrow’s heritage. It captures a sense of the townsfolk and their evolution as a community. The penguin-themed CBD trash bins exemplify a small community embracing its name and historical roots through public art. Artwork that has huge community value, pride and attachment through years of volunteer labour devoted to its ongoing maintenance.
Penguin may be unique across Australia, the only town having its Big Thing, the Big Penguin, and themed trash bins named after the town, which had been named after its major tourist attraction, though now mostly gone, leaving only cement and fibreglass replicas.