When life gives you golf balls - make golf ball art

Meredith and Bruce with their artwork, photo by Polly Bastow

What do you do with 2,248 golf balls? It’s not a question that crosses my mind, but for some time it has been vexing Meredith Kefford and Bruce Lavender. Mainly because many of these golf balls are sitting on a table in their backyard.

The majority have been collected from the Merri Creek since COVID and all within 1km of their house. On a sea of traditional white golf balls, the words PROTECT MERRI CREEK have been picked out in fluoro golf balls, with the occasional tennis ball and rubber kong peppering the lettering where needed. 
It looks surprisingly decorative: almost like a floral display. The irony of this important message, using the rubbish the creek needs to be protected from, is clear.
Bruce and Meredith’s interest was piqued mid-pandemic when 129 balls were found in the Merri Creek in one day. What great disaster had occurred? Had a ball delivery truck crashed near the creek? Had an enraged golfer, finding her score was 10 over par, hit all her balls into the creek? We will never know.

Bruce's golf ball tally board,photo by Polly Bastow

Bruce started counting the golf balls they found. Although several hundreds have since been donated to friends, or damaged ones put in the rubbish, the trusty white board in their kitchen forensically tracks the growth over time of their lost golf ball collection.

Moderately harmless golf balls are unfortunately not the only things picked up from the creek. Having dedicated themselves to their Clifton Hill section of the Merri, Meredith and Bruce go out rubbish collecting 2 or 3 times a week. Armed with shopping bags and braving summer Tiger snakes, they intercept the various forms of plastic being swept down to the Yarra confluence. Microplastic is Meredith’s pet hate. Bruce’s is Polystyrene balls. The sheer quantity of both can occasionally be overwhelming. However, long term and consistent rubbish removal can provide solace, to the point where rubbish collection becomes a form of meditation and relief from climate angst. Mud-soaked cash has also washed up here and there, all of which has been selflessly donated to the Merri Creek Environment fund.

After 30 years of rubbish collection, Meredith and Bruce are now looking for an alternate home for their ball artwork. Can it be incorporated into a community project? Does a local school want to take up the rubbish collecting challenge and spell out more environmental rallying cries? 
It would be great if an organisation could step forward and take up this challenge, to rehouse this artwork. Not only because this is a great symbol of years of thoughtful environmental action, or a commentary on the need for greater attention to rubbish production and disposal, but because Meredith and Bruce need their garden table back. They have guests coming.

Golf ball artwork by Meredith Kefford and Bruce Lavender, photo by Polly Bastow

Please contact FoMC if you would like to take this artwork on: friendsofmerricreek@gmail.com