Acknowledgement of Country
I would like to pay my respects to the First People: the traditional custodians of the lands and waterways of Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri Country. I would like to acknowledge that this virtual geocache is located on what always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
The Great Owl of Canberra
Welcome to Belconnen's famous Owl sculpture! Owl is the humble title for this piece by Bruce Armstrong but I believe it also deserves an MP title (Member of Parliament). Makes sense really! The powerful owl represents the nation's capital and the home of Federal parliament and power with great pride. But also the collective noun for a group of owls is 'parliament'. Bruce Armstrong, the legend himself, said that "it made a lot of sense to have an owl, parliament and Canberra". Roger that!
This big, beautiful sculpture was erected in 2011 and was one of dozens of art projects commissioned under former ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, obsessed with public art. The Member of Parliament has a meme and cult following on social media and is popular on shirts, fridge magnets, pins, patches, and the like. A local radio station set up at the bird in 2021 by popular demand from listeners to pay tribute to one of Canberra's "hidden gems". ACT Health also used an image of the Member of Parliament on Valentine's Day 2022 for public health messaging.
What are your own memories of the Member of Parliament since its erection?
Logging Requirements
To log a find please attach a photo at the Member of Parliament with yourself, your GPS, your hand pointing to the sculpture, or anything with your caching name written on it (eg. piece of paper, t-shirt, cap, personalised tokens, etc). The posted coordinates are one vantage point but photo at the Member of Parliament can be from any angle: the front, back, or sides. Parking is available at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets.
***FTF honours goes to Flintstone's***
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.