Meet Spike

After a two-year absence, Spike the echidna has returned to its rightful place at Belvoir Park.

The detailed garden sculpture was the work of six men involved in Wodonga TAFE’s former Back to Work program for those with mental health issues.

Brian Winnett, who ran the program and is now retired from teaching, said the men worked on the project back in 2015.

The echidna was originally installed by the council’s gardens team in 2015 and had been in storage for the past two years due to drought and lack of water.

“We put him back in his rightful place a couple of weeks ago,” Mr Winnett said.

“He’s back in the children’s park and the gardens team have put the plants in and he looks good.

“The students at the time called him Spike.”

The echidna’s head is moulded concrete and the lecturers from Wodonga TAFE’s metal fabrication department assisted the students to mould the front feet, which involved cutting and bending steel.

Mr Winnett said the men thoroughly enjoyed working on the project.

“The whole program helped them with their confidence, self-esteem, and communication skills,” he said.

The echidna was a follow-up project to a small culvert installed near the lake at Sumsion Gardens.

Be sure to say hello to Spike on your next visit – he is located next to the liberty swing.