A growing collection of outdoor sculptures are helping rural communities reflect on key moments and characters in their pasts.
Story John Dunn Photo Federation Council
Banjo Paterson looks back towards Buckinbah, to the family property Illalong where he grew up. Tim Fischer sits astride a model train at his tiny home town of Boree Creek, where he began a political journey that took him to the role of Deputy Prime Minister. Bill the Bastard, the old Gallipoli war horse, lives again at a memorial in Harden. An engraved motorcycle stands triumphantly in a park at Collector. And a group of Holden utes perpetuate their roles in Australian automobile history not far from a striking Aboriginal warrior on a roadside between Forbes and Condobolin.
All of these are recently completed sculptures. Collectively, they demonstrate that Australia’s rural towns value the significant contributions of the past and help ensure that they will not be forgotten.
This story excerpt is from Issue #139
Outback Magazine: October/November 2021
