May 9th, 2024PUZZLING!

The Bullarto Hall recently became the temporary home of what may just be one of the world’s biggest jigsaw puzzles.

Measuring 5.5 x 2 metres and weighing 19.05kg, the puzzle was too large for Bullarto residents Eddy and June Pleban to set up under their roof so they brought it to the hall to assemble across trestle tables.

“Eddy bought the puzzle for me 10 years ago as a joke. It came with a hand truck,” June said.

“I started and finished one panel, which was 4000 pieces but then put it aside. The whole thing has 32,256 precision-cut pieces and consists of just six colours plus black and white which adds to the already incredible challenge.”

It wasn’t until the pandemic lockdowns that June pulled out the puzzle and had another go. Seven panels and one year later, the retrospective work featuring 32 individual, brightly-coloured images by famed (deceased) American artist Keith Haring was finished.

With only half able to fit on a wall at home, the couple thought of ‘Make it Monday’ – a local end-of-the-month gathering where locals chat while creating something – and decided this offered the perfect opportunity to bring the big puzzle out of storage and set it up at the Bullarto Hall.