Karmai weaves his way back into Korumburra hearts

KARMAI made a spectacular return to Korumburra on Friday, with the giant earthworm weaving his way into the town’s Rotary Federation Art Gallery.

Locals turned out in impressive numbers to welcome the striking pink celebrity, with Hugh Hendry recalling Karmai’s glory days at Moomba and at Korumburra’s festival named in the earthworm’s honour.

Hugh helped establish Karmai’s widespread fame, making him the ideal person to officially open the exhibition ‘A Historical and Artistic Perspective of Karmai’.

As the marketing officer of Coal Creek in the 1970s, Hugh got Karmai to Moomba to promote the tourist attraction.

He realised he could create wide-spread awareness of Coal Creek, with half a million people along the Moomba parade route and three million more watching on television.

“I thought if I could get Coal Creek into the Moomba parade my marketing would be finished for ever,” Hugh told Friday’s audience.

Hugh recalled speaking to then Korumburra Primary School teacher Francis Mason-Smith, known as Frank Smith, seeking ideas on what form a Moomba entry may take.

Frank told him he had the perfect crew in mind, turning over initial creative responsibility to his grade 4 students.

Hugh said they produced about 15 sketches, each of which would have made worthy Moomba parade entrants, but he and Frank decided on the giant earthworm, basing its name on the local aboriginal word for that species.

So popular was Karmai, he was invited back to Moomba many times, being joined by new Korumburra creations such as a lyrebird and a grasshopper.

Eventually, Korumburra began entering flat tray floats at Moomba featuring a mixture of scenes created by local students.

Sarina Olsen brought son Oscar to the exhibition, having helped create a Phantom of the Opera display for one of Korumburra’s Moomba floats and clearly having fond memories of the time.

Karmai became a marketing force, not just for Coal Creek, but for Korumburra and South Gippsland, with up to 10,000 people attending the Karmai Festival parade.

The Giant Earthworm was a major boost to the spirits of Korumburra people at a time when the town had been hit by significant setbacks.

A number of Korumburra factories had closed in the decades following WWII, with the Korumburra Butter Factory shutting in 1975.

At the time of Karmai’s emergence, many of the town’s shops had closed.

The current exhibition features historical displays, with Korumburra Historical Society sharing photos from its impressive collection, helping spark the memories of older attendees, while showing younger people Karmai’s huge impact.

The society’s president Tony Lambides-Turner attended Friday’s exhibition opening.

He has memories of seeing the spectacular Karmai wending his way through Melbourne during Moomba.

“It showed a glimpse of what could come from the country,” Tony said.

He believes Karmai’s re-emergence is likely to have a lasting impact.

“I believe we’ve awoken a sleeping giant,” Tony said of all those responsible for exposing a new generation of Korumburra locals to the town’s friendly giant.

While Karmai no longer has his own festival, he continues to inspire local imaginations, with South Gippsland children and adults enthusiastically contributing art works depicting the giant pink identity.

Young Eva Gordon of Jumbunna and her mum were among those swept up in the excitement, entering several works between them.

“We sort of went over the top,” Eva said.

Current Korumburra Secondary College teacher Emma Turner took out the adult art prize for her watercolour depiction of Karmai, taking over Korumburra’s main street and showing the town’s iconic hill complete with telephone tower.

Emma’s creativity earned her $400 courtesy of the Korumburra Middle Hotel.

Shirley Arestia and Gayle Revill were other adult art prize winners, placing second and third respectively with Shirley receiving $150 from ‘Jenny’s Picture This Framed’ in Korumburra and Gayle pocketing $50 courtesy of Unlock Real Estate, Korumburra.

Billabong Kindergarten claimed first prize in the children’s section, worth $150 and sponsored by Alex Scott Real Estate in Korumburra.

Korumburra Primary School snavelled second place, receiving $50, also sponsored by Alex Scott Real Estate.

Loch Primary School came third, with Korumburra’s Rolling Hills Café the sponsor.

Tony Parisi and George Manis organised the Karmai exhibition through their organisation Art Connect South Gippsland, intended to bring local artists together and connect them to their community, with the Karmai exhibition a perfect way of doing so.

A Historical and Artistic Perspective of Karmai runs until September 30.