This cache is one of two placed by the Waroona Visitor Centre to encourage you to visit this beautiful part of the Shire of Waroona and take the walk down to the Harvey River and back. As a bonus there are two other caches placed by baffle when you reach the river, GC35TP7 Railway Remnant and GC35TPN Harvey River #1.
John Tognela, 12 December 1937 – 11 September 2007
This rest area is dedicated to the memory of John Tognela who, through many years of community work and farming, made a major contribution to the Waroona Shire and surrounding districts.
John Tognela was the second son born to Davide and Teresa Tognela, Italian migrants from the Valtelina region, adjoining the Swiss and Italian alps, in northern Italy.
The family purchased the land where this rest area is located in the 1930s. It was cleared and developed by John and his brothers, Robert and James, during the 1950s.
Throughout his life as a farmer and strong community supporter, John and his wife Rosa were involved in many local organisations and sporting groups. He also had a strong vision for growth and development of the area. An example of this was to suggest to the planners of the Perth to Bunbury Highway that this rest area be included in the design of the proposed Highway.
Because of this vision, it was decided that the rest area be established among the pine trees that were planted in 1982 by John and his two sons, David and Murray, on the same land that was cleared and developed by John and his brothers during the early 1950s.
The Tognela families remain active contributors to the South West region and hope you enjoy your stay and John’s vision for Forrest Highway commuters to have a safe and pleasant stop during their travels to and from the South West region he loved. As you drove into the Rest Stop you should have noticed the BINJAREB ART PROJECT. Two concrete railway arches that were left over from the freeway construction have been transformed into a work of art with images depicting local history and elements of the local environment.
The BINJAREB ART PROJECT was a ROYALTIES FOR REGIONS PROJECT. Funds were provided by the Southern Gateway Alliance to the Peel Community Development Group (PCDG) to develop a framework for interpreting the cultural landscape through community engagement and public art placemaking.
PCDG was then granted funding of $37,555 through the Royalties for Regions Peel Region Grant Scheme to develop and construct a piece of art relevant to the Peel Region. The decision was made to place the artwork in the Shire of Waroona, at the Dorsett Rd Rest Stop on the new Forrest Highway. A professional artist, Irene Osborne, was engaged to work with the community and mentor two emerging artists, Ralph Noble and Sheryl Osborne throughout the process. Partnerships were formed across a wide area which provided scope for creativity and the focus of the structural artwork is local history.
The outcome of the project is an iconic public artwork sited at the John Tognela Rest Stop that offers travellers a snapshot of local history and a glimpse of what the area has to offer, and is a credit to lead artist Irene Osborne’s ability to produce such high quality art from a very minimal resource base.
This cache is a drab camo'd round screw top container 12 cm dia x 9 cm high hidden beside the walk trail. Initial contents are a car, thumblight, dinosaur, squid, pen, log book, 2 pencils and a pencil sharpener.
When trading items please consider trading up or trading even and leaving items that you would want to find, and please don't take the pen, pencils or sharpener. If you can't trade up or trade even I don't mind seeing TNLNSL in the log. Also please don't put the pen or pencils in the log book bag, it tends to destroy the watertight integrity.
Trackables (geocoins and travel bugs) are not tradeable items. Please feel free to take them without making a trade, but please leave a note in the logbook and your online log, and do log them online.
If you have any problems with this cache please let WanderingAus know, as he is helping out Waroona Visitor Centre while they learn the ropes.