Dardanup's Fergus gets a makeover

The Shire of Dardanup’s gatekeeper Fergus the Bull has received a much-needed makeover courtesy of his creator, artist Russell Sheridan.

Fergus has welcomed travellers to the shire for more than a decade, but in recent times his age has started to show, with both vandals and the elements taking their toll on the ageing bullock.

“Fergus has become something of an impromptu symbol of the shire, but he’s been sitting in the weather for a while now and started to crack quite badly,” Dardanup shire chief executive officer Mark Chester said.

“Somebody also climbed up on top of him, sawed his horns off and attached red reflectors to his eyes, so he was definitely in need of some attention.”

Mr Sheridan was contacted and jumped at the opportunity to spruce up his old friend.

“I removed the reflectors and replaced the horns with new ones made out of fibreglass-coated steel mesh,” he said.

“They’re white and a little bit bigger because I was trying to create contrast with the trees in the background and help Fergus stand out a little more.”

Mr Sheridan said Fergus also received two coats of a timber preservative to keep the rain out.