$ 10,000 REWARD FOR MISSING PENGUIN STATUE
Burke and Wills wants Shillam on display
BURKE and Wills Hotel is offering $10,000 to anyone who can track down Shillam the penguin from the original Lennon’s Hotel.
The reward will be given upon the statue’s safe return to the Burke and Wills Hotel.
The original black granite with bronze beak statue was created by Queensland sculptor Leonard Shillam in late 1956.
Karl Langer, the architect behind the hotel’s original design, bought the penguin in April 1957.
Shillam sat proudly for many years overlooking the entry pool of Lennon’s hotel until one day when he mysteriously vanished.
Burke and Wills Hotel, on Ruthven St, is nearing its reopening after a $15 million refurbishment.
The new hotel includes 69 four-and-a-half-star rooms, 13 five-star suites, two restaurants, a bar and five modern function rooms.
The return of the original Shillam penguin statue would be a fitting final touch and nod to the history of the old hotel merging with the new luxury hotel.
In 2013 the National Trust of Queensland appealed to the public for details of the penguin’s mysterious disappearance in hope of its triumphant return but no leads led to its discovery.
This time Burke and Wills CEO Albert Hakfoort increased the stakes with the cash reward for the penguin’s return before the new revolving gold doors of the completed luxury hotel reopen in April this year.
The fully renovated Burke and Wills Hotel will combine old-school extravagance and service with just the right measure of modernity to offer guests the most luxurious accommodation on the Darling Downs..
If you have any information or photos of Shillam send them to bw.reception@ hgroup.com.au.