By Rosli Mansor
The mural of Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the A
tlantic Ocean in 1932, has been recorded in the as the Biggest Outdoor 3D Mural in the country.
President of Taiping Municipal Council, Borhan Abdul Halim, stated that the recognition was timely and also rewarding to Taiping.
“The council wishes to thank Hueck Capital Sdn Bhd for being our main sponsor. I was told that the total cost of the project was RM280,000,” he told Ipoh Echo during The Malaysia Book of Records recognition ceremony on Friday, December 27 at Jalan Abdul Jalil, Taiping.
The Amelia Earhart mural was drawn by six artists. Measuring 47ft by 90ft, it has a total surface area of 281.07 sq m.
According to historical records, Amelia Earhart landed on Tekah Airport, Taiping on June 20, 1937, for re-fueling before proceeding to Singapore. Unfortunately, on her way to Howard Island from Lea, Papua New Guinea with her co-pilot, Fred Noonan, her plane, a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra, was reported missing somewhere in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937.
MPT plans to create more murals around town in 2020.
“The next will begin in January and is expected to be completed in March. The theme for these murals will be based on history and a few heritage sites,” said Borhan.
Besides that, a bus was donated by the Japanese government via the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). “The fully electric bus will be operating soon. It’ll traverse the heritage trail passing by the murals. Hopefully, with the service provided, Visit Malaysia 2020 will be more interesting, prompting more tourists to come our way,” Borhan added.
