The Drovers

As the associated plaque mentions, one of the greatest successes of the streetscape of World Expo 88 was the series of sculptures known as The Human Factor. Created by John Underwood's Artbusters organisation, The Drovers captures five of these figures in a typical Australian outback scene. They are located outside the Primary Industries Building at 80 Ann Street.

Now made of cast aluminium, the sculptures were originally created in fiberglass. After nearly 17 years had begun to show their signs of wear. They were recreated in 2005 to preserve the sculptures, and as a continued reminder of the positive impact Expo 88 had on the city. Much was made of this recreation, as the "bushies" had returned to the city!

To me, World Expo 88 represents when the city grew up. I came up from Victoria with one of my mates specifically to attend the exhibition. Prior to that Brisbane was more like a big country town, but the turning points seemed to be the Commonwealth Games in 1982, and then this significant world event. Over 18 million people visited the city for the exhibition. With sculptures like these they truly did get to see a little slice of Aussie life.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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