Edith Cowan’s legacy to Mid West region enshrined in bronze with statue unveiling slated for later this year

A bronze statue honouring Edith Cowan — the Mid West-born trailblazer who became Australia’s first female parliamentarian — is set for unveiling in Geraldton in early November. The statue is currently being sculpted in the Perth hills, crafted by renowned WA artists Joan Walsh-Smith OAM and Charles Smith OAM of Smith Sculptors. They are the team behind many artworks on public display around the world and in Geraldton, including the dome and the Waiting Woman at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial, as well as the Monsignor Hawes statue with his dog Dominie at St Francis Xavier Cathedral. “It’s a great honour to commemorate such a wonderful human being,” Mr Smith said. “And it’s lovely to bring her home to Geraldton, where her story began.” The Geraldton Voluntary Tour Guides Association raised more than $120,000 to commission the statue through grants and generous donations from the local community. “We’ve been doing tours at the Sydney since 2005 so we’ve come a long way and our idea of supporting an Edith Cowan project is to leave a legacy from the tour guides, put something back into the community and have Edith Cowan acknowledged,” GVTGA president Julie Clark said. The new work follows the recent installation of a similar statue of Cowan in Perth, also by Smith Sculptors, with Mr Smith revealing the Geraldton version would have its own distinct personality. “We’ve made subtle changes in the expression, the features and even the head. This one will have a soft, slightly sad smile,” he said. “The idea is she’s coming home back to her roots in Geraldton.” Born at Glengarry Station in 1861, Cowan’s life was marked by resilience and extraordinary achievement. After losing her mother in childhood and later enduring the trauma of her father’s execution, she went on to raise five children and become an advocate for women, children and the underprivileged. She helped found the Karrakatta Club in 1894, established the Soldiers’ Welcome Institute during World War I (a forerunner of the RSL) and was instrumental in the creation of King Edward Memorial Hospital and the Children’s Court. In 1921 she became the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament in WA and used her term to pass legislation allowing women into legal and other professions. Mr Smith said the Geraldton sculpture would reflect Cowan’s legal legacy, with the figure holding a scroll to symbolise her work in the courts. “She was the first female justice of the peace and sat on the Children’s Court bench for 10 years. We’ve based this statue on her role in the legal world, she’ll be walking away from the courthouse, having achieved so much,” he said. The bronze statue will be about two metres tall, and cast using the lost wax method, an ancient technique used by the Egyptians that produces high-quality sculptures capable of lasting thousands of years. “It is extremely hard wearing and long lasting, it doesn’t rust,” said Mr Smith, which is lucky because Cowan will be facing plenty of sea breeze back home in front of the courthouse in Edith Cowan Park, adjacent to the Geraldton foreshore. The unveiling is expected on November 2, with more details to be released closer to the date.