A bronze statue depicting the patron saint of miners in Australia’s gold mining capital of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has been returned to its original home of St Barbara’s Square amid heated community debate and the completion of a $16-million revamp of the CBD.
Key points:
- The statue spent two years at a miners’ memorial, where many people feel it should have remained
- Mayor Glenn Wilson said the plan was always to return St Barbara after the CBD upgrade was complete
- Nana Lye, who created the statue, said she was glad to see it returned to the CBD
The statue was relocated to the Museum of the Goldfields after the first sod for the West Australian city’s upgrade was turned in August 2021.
Debate continues over whether the statue should have remained at the museum, next to the Eastern Goldfields Miners’ Memorial, which bears the names of the more than 1,400 miners to have died since the 1890s gold rush.
Doug Daws, a member of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Walk of Fame, was among the first to publicly suggest St Barbara had found a permanent new home in 2021.
He said it was “entirely appropriate” that the statue stay “alongside the names of those who have died in the mining industry”.
Carlie Wood whose partner died underground in a 2009 mining accident, also felt St Barbara should have stayed put.
“She’s the patron saint of miners and that’s where they put the miners’ wall, so I wholeheartedly agree with that,” she said.
“That’s just my opinion.”
‘Always coming back’
The St Barbara’s Festival committee told the council its preference was for the statue to remain at the museum.
The Catholic Parish Council indicated to the council its “strong preference” for the statue to return to St Barbara’s Square.
Reverend Elizabeth Smith of the Anglican Parish of the Goldfields suggested the statue should be accompanied by a sign to explain St Barbara’s patronage and to direct to the miners’ memorial at the museum.
The final decision was made at the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s October 30 meeting, when councillors voted 9-0 to return St Barbara to her original location.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor Glenn Wilson said he was pleased with the result.
“For me, St Barbara was always coming back to the square,” he said.
“The original recommendation was to bring her back.
“Where in the square was the concern … it’s pointed towards the Mt Charlotte operations, if you draw a straight line.
“It really is lovely and, as the artist Nana Lye said, ‘Welcome home.'”
‘It belongs here’
St Barbara’s Square was named by the former Town of Kalgoorlie Mayor Ray Finlayson in 1983 to commemorate 100 years since the discovery of gold.
The statue of St Barbara was unveiled in 1999 by the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s then-Mayor Paul Robson.
Artist Nana Lye, 73, was commissioned to create the sculpture, which took about six months to complete.
She now lives between her native Germany and Dunsburough in WA’s south west, and returned to Kalgoorlie-Boulder to unveil her creation a second time on Sunday.
“I think it belongs here … next to the tree with the green leaves,” Lye said.
“A lot of sculptures in Perth are in walkway areas — I think this is nice, she would be happy there.”
She said the original concept for the statue was vastly different.
“When I was given the commission, I was told to do this Greek goddess with a sword in her hand,” Lye said.
“I talked to Dick Scallan, who was the initiator of it, and I said, ‘Look this is a modern town in the 20th century — it doesn’t need a Greek goddess.’
“This could be any woman from any time in history.”
The location of St Barbara is the second controversy involving a bronze statue in Kalgoorlie-Boulder this year.
A sculpture of pioneering prospector Paddy Hannan was beheaded in October.
It was repaired at a cost of about $10,500.
A 38-year-old man is due to face court next month after being charged with unlawful damage.
