Some more containers have now been painted at Bruce Pulman Park as part of the 5+ A Day Container Mural Project.  A collaboration between young artist Emma Lee Vahaakolo, Athletics NZ, and Pascal Atiga-Bridger has seen the Athletics NZ Throws Centre office space and container have some bright new artwork on them.  At the same time, we used the designs of Emma Lee’s to brighten up some of the other containers on Walters Rd.  This area of the Park is regularly hit by graffiti, so we are pleased to have these containers displaying some bright murals that seem to deter the taggers.

Back then Emma-Lee reckons she was not much of an athlete until she attended a give it a go day at Papakura & Harriers Club. She qualified for shot put in a school competition, but she had never thrown nor knew anything about shot put so local coach Melissa offered to help prepare her for the competition. She then began attending club night and was introduced to John Eden, an NZ athletics coach.  John said she was the tallest 13-year-old he had met.  From that day on Emma-Lee trained multiple times a week with Patches Throwing Squad, that’s what John calls it, a throwing family made up of all age groups. As the years went on Emma-Lee grew from a young shy girl to a strong young woman that now calls herself an athlete. It is noticed throughout everything she now does from the way she holds herself, her attitude, and sport.

At the moment Emma-Lee has had to make the difficult decision to leave her throwing squad and focus on school and other sports. Fast forward to now when she was asked by her old Kauri Flats School teacher Mr Feau if she would like to design a mural for the athletic zone at Bruce Pulman Park where her squad trains, she was excited and accepted the challenge.  Through her artwork, she has represented the squad well and will be forever grateful for the love and support within our Papakura Community.

Article added: Wednesday 12 May 2021