By Hannah Hammoud
A regional council is working to remove the image of Indigenous elder Ronald Marks from a prominent silo mural after the 74-year-old was sentenced for possessing child abuse material.
In Horsham Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Marks was fined $7500 and will be registered as a sex offender for the next eight years.
Marks’ face is a central feature in a large mural on a silo overlooking the small farming community of Sheep Hills in Victoria’s north-west. The Horsham man is known for his work as an education consultant and youth mentor who largely focused on teaching Indigenous culture.
The mural, commissioned by the Yarriambiack Shire Council in 2016 and painted by the artist Matt Adnate, depicts Marks, a Wergaia elder, alongside Wotjobaluk elder Regina Hood and two young children, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald.