Twenty years ago, the Jarea Artists were approached by Andreas Haun and John and Lucinda Flemer who asked them to transform the St. Andrews water reservoir from an eyesore into a work of art.
A mural, depicting the St. Andrews town wharf and Kingsbrae Garden, was designed by Geoff Slater and Jantje Blokhuis-Mulder in 2002 and – after much planning – was painted the following year by Geoff, with the assistance of Jantje and Andrea Mulder-Slater, as well as SJDA students Dave Menton, Bobbie Jo Libby, Andrew Maxwell, Nicole Robichaud, Talia Carney, Caleigh Dunfield, Erika Neilson and Nathaneal Sharkey, and community member Scott Stuart.
Through the years the mural (battered by salty air) has been touched up several times by Geoff, (most recently in 2012, with the added help of Jantje and Andrea as well as artists Jackie Guthrie and Gerry Cloud, with a few brushstrokes added by Wilma Blokhuis!).
In 2022, Geoff undertook the enormous task of repainting the entire mural on his own in a race against time (or rather, condensation!) And the end result is absolutely gorgeous!
At 30′ x 150′, it is one of the largest murals in Canada and is a true community project.