Thomas Joseph Ryan Sculpture

Thomas Joseph Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919. He has been immortalized with a bronze statue designed by noted Australian sculptor Sir Edgar Bertram MacKennal which was unveiled in Queens Gardens in 1925. It is located diagonally in from the intersection of William Street and Elizabeth Street. The grand figure in full legal regalia stands upon a pedestal of Helidon sandstone and Enoggera granitebase with a plaque which identifies his stature in Queensland politics, and provides a remembrance of his untimely death.

Ryan was born at Port Fairy in Victoria on 1 July 1876. He was educated in Victoria at South Melbourne College, Xavier College, Kew, and the University of Melbourne, graduating with legal qualifications. Moving to Queensland, he practised as a solicitor at Rockhampton and then as a barrister in Brisbane. He entered politics in October 1909 as part of the labour party, and was elected leader in 1912 from whence he became Premier at the election of May 1915. He moved from state to federal politics in October 1919. Unfortunately, during a trip to England he contracted influenza, and on his return never quite fully recovered. On 1 August 1921 he died of pneumonia.

There are not that many of these types of sculptures in the Brisbane city area. This work effectively provides a memorial to a man who many believed could have been a likely Australian Labor Party leader, and potential Prime Minister, before his premature death. The sculpture itself is an excellent representation of who TJ Ryan may have been. The plaque notes that not only was he Premier, but also a Scholar, Jurist and Statesman. Given the piece was erected by public subscription, he must have been well respected within the community of the time.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Memorial

At the intersection of Elizabeth and George Street, at the pathway entrance to Queens Gardens, stands the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) memorial. The memorial honours all men and women who served in the RAAF, especially those who in so doing gave their lives or suffered lasting hurt. The main feature of the memorial is the Wedge-tailed Eagle, perched upon a striking pedestal.

Made of bronze, granite and cast concrete, the sculpture is another of those by Rhyl Hinwood. Representing all branches of the Service, the memorial was commissioned to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the RAAF in 1996. On the granite base the RAAF Motto Per Ardua Ad Astra, is repeated on each facet, as well as emblazoned on the RAAF Crest and plaque which identifies the memorial.

I feel that this sculpture is a fitting memorial to RAAF personnel. These pictures do not do justice to the width of the Eagle, whose wingspan is well over two metres. In researching this piece, I found some interesting variants on the translation of the Latin. Since there can be a number of different meanings to "Ardua", scholars have declared it to be untranslatable. To the Royal Australian Air Force, however, it will remain translated as Through Adversity to the Stars.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Queen Victoria in Queens Gardens

This imposing bronze statue of Queen Victoria, a replica by English sculptor Sir Thomas Brock of the original in Portsmouth, was erected in mid-1906. The purchase was arranged by local artist Godfrey Rivers, and was funded by public subscription and subsidies from state and local government. The pedestal was designed by the Public Works Department and crafted by local stonemason William Kitchen. The statue was an expression of Queensland's loyalty to the British Empire. The monument remains the only statue of Queen Victoria in Brisbane.

Located in Queens Garden, the statue is outside what is now the Conrad Hotel. The gardens were established in their current form in 1963, although since the erection of the monument they had been public gardens.

I must say that as you approach the monument up the diagonal pathways, you don't get a real sense of the grandeur of this sculpture. It is only when you stand underneath that I got the real sense of majesty for what Queen Victoria represented. I originally thought that it was "just another royal statue", however as I moved around the base I became more overawed. Although rather expressionless, the sculpture does exemplify the carriage of royalty.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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