THE Akubra hat commissioned and paid for by Orange councillor Chris Gryllis had a brief outing in the winter sun on Saturday morning at Orange Botanic Gardens.
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However, Cr Gryllis said he was in no way pushing for the hat to be placed at the gardens.
“I was just responding to a request from the ABC who, as everyone knows, is making a documentary about Banjo Paterson and they asked if I could arrange to take the hat out there near Emmaville Cottage,” he said.
Cr Gryllis is upbeat about finding a home for the large metal hat, which he had proposed to coincide with Banjo Paterson’s 150th birthday celebrations in February.
“I have had expressions of interest from a couple of areas, one from an individual and another from a company,” he said.
“I will be holding talks with them this week. But I would really like to see it put in a prominent place.”
However, Cr Gryllis said he was not fazed if either of the expressions of interest did not come to fruition.
“I will then just go ahead and perhaps put it in to my backyard, subject of course to lodging a development application with council,” he said.
The pergola-style metal Akubra was recently completed by Midstate Metals in Orange.
The hat is a 3.6-metre by 4.4-metre structure, which, unfortunately for Cr Gryllis, has not drawn public support in Orange, despite early support from Orange City Council.
Cr Gryllis is funding the $15,000 hat construction himself potentially as a gift to the city.
janice.harris@fairfaxmedia.com.au
