Family and former classmates of Les Murray were left in awe after a mural of the former SBS football broadcaster was unveiled at his former high school.
Illawara Sports High, situated 90 kilometres south of Sydney, had asked a local artist, Anthony Jones, to paint the mural. He says the reaction at the unveiling means a lot to him.
"I really think that there's some strength in the eyes, and, after speaking with the family today, they've said that I've really managed to capture Les. And for people that were so close to him, for them to turn around and say that to me, you know, it means a lot. And it means that I've achieved what I've set out to do, and that's create a really fitting depiction of Les."
The mural is a bright mix of colours.
Murray's daughter, Tania Murray, says it perfectly reflects her father's promotion of both football and multiculturalism in his more than 30 years working at SBS.
"It's not just about him. It's about the message that he was sending out there, just continuously, from the day one. So I don't imagine this is going to disappear anytime soon -- this will be here, hopefully, for centuries -- and that's a great way to just remind people of what it was all about, to ask questions about it and things like that, you know, concrete things that will really keep that message going on and on and on and on."
Les Murray was known by his given name, Laszlo Urge, when he started attending the school in 1959 after fleeing Hungary two years earlier. His brother, Andrew Urge, says the two would regularly practise football at the school.
"We were just us at the yard all the time, practising our football skills and kicking the ball against the walls here. And I'm pretty sure this was one of the walls. And the soccer-ball spots probably were there before he painted ... painted this ... this major work."
Football was scarcely played in schools across Australia at the time. Urge says his brother wanted to change that.
