Brock Statue Raises Hackles

Sun Herald

Sunday May 4, 2008

By Denis Gregory

1 No smoke without ire

By Denis Gregory

A MARLBORO logo will feature on a life-size memorial bronze sculpture of Peter Brock astride one of his favourite cars.

Protests from anti-tobacco campaigners have failed to stop the planned tribute to the late racing legend outside Mount Panorama motor museum.

But Melbourne-based sculptor Julie Squires has agreed to a Bathurst City Council request to etch the logo in a more subtle form in an attempt to appease the protesters.

The council hopes the $100,000 sculpture will be unveiled at this year's Bathurst 1000 in October.

It will capture Brock standing on the roof of the VK Commodore he drove to victory in the 1984 Bathurst 1000 and which now resides in the museum.

Squires said that to have removed the Marlboro logo would have been to compromise the historical integrity of the sculpture.

"Of course the statue will cause some controversy, but we are not encouraging people to smoke," she said. "Historically, that's what he had on the side of the car when he won the race and so it should stay."

She said after discussing anti-tobacco campaigners' concerns, the Marlboro insignia, which had been "quite dominant on my original concept drawing", would now "be etched into the surface and the whole sculpture will be in bronze so it is not going to stand out like a red and white billboard".

"What makes it difficult is the car - as it was raced - is in the Bathurst motor museum. The sculpture is going out the front of the museum so it seemed bizarre to alter the statue when the actual car is inside," she said.

Bathurst councillor Bobby Bourke said: "I asked whether the memorial could have been based on another car Brock drove that didn't have the Marlboro sign but Squires said there were no other options.

"We all had concerns about the Marlboro sign but the car is in the museum along with other cars with James Hardie and Peter Stuyvesant advertising on them so really there's nothing we can do but get on with it."

Bathurst Council last year invited artists to submit entries for the memorial. Its favoured choice - a silver, twisting sculpture featuring images of Brock's career and dubbed "a rubber band" - was rejected as too abstract by the Peter Brock Foundation, whose chairman is Brock's brother, Lewis.

The council then called fresh tenders for the memorial to be a statue of Brock himself. Squires's final design will have Brock holding a trophy rather than standing with arms folded, as shown in her sketch. A helmet will also be added.

Her most recent work was The Diggers, a memorial on Victoria's Great Ocean Road to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its construction.

2 McGrath tribute stumped by a lack of cash

By Denis Gregory

GLENN McGRATH might be one of Australia's greatest bowlers, but Narromine is struggling to find the money to honour the town's hero.

The Federal and State governments, Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW have refused to help Narromine Council mark the feats of the cricket great, who grew up and played his early cricket in the town.

So the council is seeking to sell 15 corporate sponsorships of $5500 each to cover the cost of the statue - estimated at between $70,000 and $90,000. It will also sell pavers around the base for $50.

Narromine Mayor Dawn Collins said: "Glenn has agreed to sit for the statue. He is such a good bloke." She said she'd written to 14 likely corporate sponsors but only the council of Liverpool, Narromine's sister city, had replied "and it chose not to give any support".

Alongside Dennis Lillee, McGrath is recognised as Australia's finest seam bowler, playing in 124 Tests and 250 one-day internationals. He bowed out of international cricket last year but has come out of retirement to play in the cash-rich Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

"I'm humbled by Narromine's decision to consider me worthy of a statue," said McGrath, from India. "Regardless of what happens, their initial thought to cast a statue is something I'm very proud of."

Ms Collins said new requests for financial help would be made to the Federal and State governments through local MPs John Cobb and Dawn Fardell.

"We believe the statue would bring tourists here because Glenn McGrath is recognised worldwide," Ms Collins said.

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© 2008 Sun Herald

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