It was almost too much to bear when Glenbrook's much-loved Blinky Bill mural was destroyed in a car crash in December 2013, along with the concrete bus shelter on Ross Street it was painted on.
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"Of all the things that could have happened to it, that was quite a surprise to me at the time," its creator Jayne Shephard recalls.
Ms Shephard volunteered to paint the mural in 1992 with the help of Glenbrook Public School students, where her children were enrolled, as a project to celebrate the school's centenary.
Apart from the main panel featuring former Warrimoo resident Dorothy Wall's Blinky Bill character, the mural also included paintings of characters from Faulconbridge native Norman Lindsay's classic The Magic Pudding, Mem Fox's Possum Magic and Marcia Kay's Wombat Stew.
To the delight of many Glenbrook residents, the adventurous Blinky Bill reappeared on the replacement concrete bus shelter last week - painted again by Ms Shephard almost 24 years later - commissioned by Blue Mountains City Council.
And there's more to come, with the artist continuing to add elements from The Magic Pudding, Possum Magic and Wombat Stew.
The project should be finished sometime in November.
Ms Shephard said it's exciting to be given the opportunity to redo the mural.
"It kind of feels like I've come full circle with this - I painted the original as a volunteer and the council has been fantastic in commissioning me to paint the new one," she said last Thursday.
"This time I'm painting it by myself, so I'm able to reference the books more and paint it in more detail.
"It's a lengthy process because it's on a rough surface that I'm choosing to work with by adding layers of colour."
Ms Shephard said the return of Blinky Bill to Ross Street has already generated a lot of interest by locals, triggering fond memories.
"Many people walking by as I painted this week were saying how glad they are to see it back here and it's received great support from Glenbrook Historical Society and Glenbrook Cinema.
"I was surprised by this level of interest - it's great."
More good feedback followed on social media, with Veronica Boncey commenting on Glenbrook Cinema's Facebook page "so pleased Jayne is doing this - I have been looking to see if someone would paint [it again] and now we have the original artist."
Marion Johnson added "just wonderful to see a very special bus shelter back. Have a photo of my baby daughter taken in it 20 years ago. A special spot in Glenbrook."