The $30,000 sculptural art Dearest, by Inverleigh sculptor Mark Cuthbertson, depicts a traditional wooden cup-and-ball toy - a children’s game that first originated in 16th century France.

The piece was selected out of a shortlist of three by the Hepburn Public Art Panel, which is now in its second year of existence.

The panel was instigated and formerly chaired by councillor Kate Redwood and is sat on by high-profile art community members, including renowned artist Petrus Spronk and former head of Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Sue Walker.

Cuthbertson said he was inspired to create Dearest after looking into the history of the Creswick mining disaster.

However, Hepburn Shire councillors have fiercely debated the work, with Bill McClenaghan claiming the sculpture was not relevant to Creswick or the park.

“I’m not really happy that Creswick might be known as the ‘Big Cup and Ball’,” he said.

“I don’t think the residents of Creswick are going to warm up to it. I think the residents of Creswick need to have a say.

“It’s their town, it’s their lake, it’s their artwork so to speak, and it’s their rates that are paying for it.”

Creswick ward councillor Don Henderson said the panel needed to “take another look”. He said while the panel was no doubt talented, they weren’t from Creswick.

Councillor Kate Redwood said the panel had been created to amend poor relations between Hepburn Shire Council and the arts community.

She said she believed the panel had consulted with the Creswick community before making their decision.

The Friends of Calembeen community group confirmed with The Advocate it had not been consulted by the panel.

The Friends declined to make comment until it had a meeting with the panel, the artist and the council at a yet-to-be-confirmed date.

Councillor Pierre Niclas supported the decision.

“This art committee needs to be supported, clearly supported by council, so they have confidence to go with their gut feel and not to go with the norm,” he said.

Councillor Sebastian Klein agreed with the panel’s decision.

“Art seeks to challenge what is art, but also challenge ideas of history. They haven’t just picked the one thing that looks the best, they’ve ranked it on a series of scores.”

Despite the difference of opinion, the council voted to approve the artwork.

Cuthbertson, who is known for his sculpture of a large couch at Meredith, said he wanted to depict a sentimental keepsake from Creswick’s history.

“I was delving into that human element of Creswick rather than famous people or big names, but rather about how individuals lived. I was looking for a keepsake that could encapsulate those emotions,” he said.

“I was trying to find an object that could speak to the broad social time and the movement and migration, so I came up with a turn-of-the-century toy.”

Construction will begin in the coming month at a to-be-confirmed location inside the park.