An Gorta Mor
Artist: Smith Sculptors Joan Walsh Smith and Charles Smith
Year of Work: 2017
Location: Southern side of Market Square near Roberts Road Subiaco 6008
Asset Type: Sculpture
Provenance: City of Subiaco
Image courtesy of Subiaco
Statue of John Curtin
Artist: Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith
Asset Type: Memorial/ Permanent
Year of Work: 2003
Location: John Curtin Place, Kings Square. Town Hall end of High Street Mall
Provenance: City of Fremantle
Description: Perhaps the most iconic of Australia’s prime ministers, John Curtin is bound to ordinary Australians by his working class roots and trade union advocacy, but most importantly as Australia’s war-time voice. Although Victorian by birth, Curtin made Western Australia his home in 1917 where he became an editor for a union press.
He joined federal parliament in 1928 as the elected Member of Fremantle. He became leader of the Labor Party in 1935 and prime minister in 1941 in the midst of war with Germany and Italy, with troops deployed in fronts in the middle-east and Europe. Weeks after his succession Australia was pulled into a war in the Pacific.
Curtin’s decisions strengthened relations with the United States, as their interests were directly threatened by Japan who had attacked ports in Australian and allied ports around the pacific.
Curtin died in office only weeks before the formal ending of the war in the Pacific. As Western Australia’s first and only prime minister, John Curtin is commemorated at King’s Square in Fremantle.
Image Source: Eugene Scrivener (Museum of Perth)
May Gibbs Inspiration
Artist: Charles and Joan Smith
Year of Work: 2006
Location: Windsor Park, South Perth - NE Part of Park, under Trees
Description: "This sculpture captured the moment in time – when inspired by her love of the West Australian bush and wildlife – May Gibbs glimpsed at those ‘little creatures’ that became the genesis of the magical and enchanting world she created. We wanted to create an atmosphere where perhaps May Gibbs, while sitting in the nature that she loved, glimpsed or imagined the lovable bush creatures that she became famous for.”
Asset Type: Sculpture
Provenance: City of South Perth
Image Source Moondyne, Wikimedia Commons (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Percy Buttons
Image Source: Eugene Scrivener (Museum of Perth)
Artist: Joan Walsh-Smith and Charles Smith
Asset Type: Public Art
Year of Work: 2006
Location: Hay Street Mall, Southern side, East of London Court
Provenance: City of Perth
Kangaroos (Phase 1)
Image Source: Eugene Scrivener (Museum of Perth)
Artist: Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith
Asset Type: Public Art
Year of Work: 1996
Location: St Georges Terrace, Southern side, near Stirling Gardens
Provenance: City of Perth
These life size bronze kangaroos are a realistic representation of how kangaroos might behave in the bush. You can imagine the mob being startled from its quiet feeding by the sound of traffic and bounding away, led by the large male. The sight of the kangaroos bounding at full speed along the pavement of St George’s Terrace makes a surprising contrast to the backdrop of the CBD.
De Vlamingh Sundial Memorial
Image Source: Eugene Scrivener (Museum of Perth)
Artist: Albert De Boer (Artforms) Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith (Sculptors)
Asset Type: Monument
Year of Work: 2007
Location: Formerly to West of Barrack Square on Swan River Foreshore
Provenance: City of Perth