Banjo waltzes again
IF you’re driving to Orange it might be worthwhile to divert off the Mitchell Highway on your return to check out the new bronze sculpture of Australia’s most famous poet, Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson.
Paterson was born in Orange and spent his early years in Yeoval and the local museum dedicated to the town’s most famous son is well worth a visit.
A crowd of 500 people from all over NSW and Queensland gathered in front of the “Banjo Paterson... more than a Poet Museum”, on February 17 to witness the Unveiling of the three-metre-high sculpture and the locals did the town proud.
St Columba’s school students led the singing of the National Anthem and the captains from Yeoval Central School told the story of Paterson’s memories of Yeoval.
Alf Cantrell, a major player behind the museum and the fundraising for the sculpture told Dubbo Photo News that the crowd spilled across the roadway and into the park opposite where an extra speaker had been set up.
“The Deputy Consul for
Britain, Jonathan Cook, donated and raised a Scottish Flag and this was raised alongside the Australian Flag by the Captain of the St Columba’s School, Maddie Keady,” Mr Cantrell said.
Dubbo Salvation Army captain David Sutcliffe spoke of the horrors of war and offered up a prayer in memory of all those fallen in WW1 while historian Cliff Crane gave a brief history of Paterson’s war service in Egypt followed by.
“Ian Mcnamara of ABC’S Australia All Over delighted the crowd with a short address and then pulled off the tarp to reveal a magnificent likeness to the Major A.b.paterson of the Australian Remount Division drawn by war artist George Lambert in 1916,” Mr Cantrell said.
A free morning tea was served to all those attending and many hundreds of biscuits and small cakes, hot out of the museum’s oven, were eagerly consumed.
Mr Cantrell said a sad note hung over the proceedings:
“Unbeknown to the crowd the very talented sculptor Paul Smits aged 34 passed away the previous evening from a heart condition,” he said.