Prime Ministers Avenue facts for kids
The Prime Ministers Avenue is a special collection of statues. These statues show the heads and shoulders of all the Prime Ministers of Australia. You can find them in the beautiful Ballarat Botanical Gardens in Ballarat, Victoria. Each statue is made of bronze and sits on a shiny granite stand. Lots of people visit this unique display every year.
The 28th Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, was the newest leader to have his statue added. He was there when it was officially shown to the public on 5 June 2017.
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How the Avenue Started
The idea for the Prime Ministers Avenue came from Richard Crouch. He was born in Ballarat in 1868. Richard Crouch was a politician for different areas from 1901 to 1910 and again from 1929 to 1931. He was the person who first gave money for the first six statues.
The first six statues were officially shown on 2 March 1940. The Governor of Victoria, Winston Dugan, did the honors. Richard Crouch also left money in his will to help keep the project going. People say he started the collection because he loved art. He also wanted to give something back to Ballarat. He had learned a lot from working with important leaders like Barton and Deakin.
Who Made the Statues?
Many talented artists have created the statues for the Prime Ministers Avenue.
- The statues of Barton, Deakin, Watson, Reid, Fisher, Cook, Hughes, Bruce, Scullin, Lyons, Page, Menzies, Fadden, and Curtin were made by Wallace Anderson. He was born near Ballarat. He is also known for his famous work "Simpson and His Donkey" in Melbourne.
- We don't know who made the statue of Forde.
- The statue of Chifley was made by Ken Palmer. Ken was born in Ballarat. He created the statue in 1946 when Chifley was running for election.
- Victor Greenhalgh made the statues of Holt, McEwen, Gorton, McMahon, and Whitlam. Victor was also born in Ballarat. He is famous for his large statue of King George V in Ballarat.
- Peter Nicholson created the statues of Fraser, Hawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd, and Gillard. Peter was born in Melbourne. He is well-known for his cartoons in newspapers. Peter believes the statues should show what each person was really like.
- The statue of Abbott was made by Linda Klarfeld. She was born in Prague. When she made the statue, she tried to show Tony Abbott's strong will. She wanted to show his ability to handle daily challenges.
What People Thought of the Statues
Sometimes, people have had different opinions about the statues.
Victor Greenhalgh first made the statue of Malcolm Fraser. But Greenhalgh and others felt the final statue wasn't quite right. After Greenhalgh passed away in 1983, Peter Nicholson made a new statue for Fraser. This new one was finished after the statue for the next Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, was already in place.
Peter Nicholson thinks that John Howard wasn't happy with how his lower lip looked on his statue. It is also said that Paul Keating didn't like the chin and nose on his statue.
The Future of the Avenue
Making each statue costs a lot of money, between $45,000 and $65,000. The money left by Richard Crouch for future statues ran out after Julia Gillard's statue was made. The most recent statue, for Tony Abbott, was paid for by the Ballarat council in 2017.
The project is part of Ballarat's public art program. Work has already started on the statue of Malcolm Turnbull. The Ballarat council has asked the federal government for money to keep the project going forever, but they haven't been successful yet. They have also asked sculptors if they would like to create new statues.
See All the Prime Ministers
