Vibrant new mural at Victoria Legion honours veterans, community

Victoria's Trafalgar Pro Patria Legion is honouring Remembrance Day this year with a colourful approach. 

Their once-graffiti-filled wall is now adorned with a mural that commemorates the Legion's veterans while illuminating a busy stretch of road in the Burnside district. 

Against a gradient of yellow to purple, the mural features a field of poppies with the silhouette of a bagpiper facing the inlet.

References to the Indigenous community are also seen throughout the piece, such as in the moon overlooking the scene — details requested by Rachell Westman, co-ordinator of the Burnside Gorge Graffiti Fighters, for inclusivity, she says.

Westman says she approached the Legion to ask if they might be willing to have a mural painted on the wall outside their headquarters.

She says hoped this would inspire community resiliency and make the neighbourhood feel safer. 

"[The Legion] had a massive [graffiti] tag across the entire wall," she said. "There's not a lot of vibrancy in this area of the street, and we really felt it needed something to brighten it up."

She adds that active engagement with the community for feedback during the painting process made the experience more fruitful, and helped keep vandals from painting over the work.

More than a work of art 

Artist Kelly Everill says the mural is one of the projects she's most proud of — tied in first place with another mural she made, honouring veterans at the Courtenay Legion.

"My father was a member of the service, as was his father, and my husband was also," said Everill. Her father passed away a few years ago, she said.

"It just is very important with everything that's going on in the world today that people are well aware that these veterans fought for our freedoms."

Beyond its bright and calming imagery, the mural has brought a sense of pride to the community, according to Laurie Weston, branch manager of the Trafalgar Pro Patria Legion.

"It really brought goosebumps to people, tears in the eyes, and the poppies, it said everything to our veterans," she said.

"It spoke to them and they are forever grateful."