Press Centre

MEDIA RELEASE

8/03/2001

Telstra Country Wide™ brings famous artists online to regional Australia

Telstra Country Wide™ today became the principal sponsor of a new educational website - In the Artist's Footsteps - promoting the lives and works of Australia's most famous artists as part of Australia's celebration of Federation.

Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Mr Doug Campbell, said he was proud to sponsor In the Artist's Footsteps as part of the new rural business unit's commitment to developing regional Australia.

"By placing In the Artist's Footsteps on line, children throughout regional Australia will now be able to enjoy this important cultural and educational resource.

"It will help promote an appreciation of the contributions that these famous artists made to Australia's cultural fabric as well recognise the wider role of the arts in the development of regional Australia's history and development," Mr Campbell said.

People living in regional Australia can access this online resource anywhere, anytime through Telstra's high speed Big Pond™ Broadband Internet.

The website - www.artistsfootsteps.com - provides extensive information on famous Australian artists Sir Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, Walter Withers, Charles Conder, Clara Southern, May Vale, Jane Price, Elizabeth Parsons, and Jane Sutherland.

Created and developed by Countrytowns Productions Pty Ltd, the website contains over 400 pages of information - including a detailed biography of each artist as well as information never before published, photographs and personal letters. Significant works are also featured.

The Managing Director of Countrytowns Productions Pty Ltd, Mr Ron Smith, said the support from Telstra Country Wide is a major boost for the project, enabling content to be expanded, the reach of information to be extended and free access for the community.

"Telstra Country Wide's ability to promote the website throughout local communities in regional and rural Australia will provide an important link in the success of this program."

The first major works to be presented on the site is Tom Robert's 'The Big Picture'*, which records the official opening of Federal Parliament.

™ Trade mark of Telstra Corporation Limited
* Formally entitled 'Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth Of Australia' by HRH the Duke of Cornwall and York (later H.M. King George V), May 9, 1901

Media enquiries:
Chris Zipf - Public Affairs, Telstra Country Wide Tel: (07) 3898 7244 Mobile: 0408 754 535

Media releases are regularly posted on the Telstra Newsroom. The address is http://www.telstra.com.au/newsroom.

Left: Arthur Streeton - Above Us The Great Grave Sky, 1890
Collection: National Gallery of Australia, Canberra.