Streaky Bay unveils bronze statue of champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy

The locals of Streaky Bay have rallied to erect a bronze statue of their favourite son, champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

Nobody is prouder of Streaky Bay’s favourite son, champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy, than his father Phil.

Mr McEvoy, his brother Peter and local councillor Geoff Hull, were the driving forces behind a community-driven project to erect a bronze statue of his son on its foreshore.

McEvoy, 41, will on Sunday fly into the tight-knit West Coast community to join his wife, Cathy, and four children for the unveiling of the statue.

The ceremony is the culmination of a five-year project by the Streaky Bay Racing Club to honour McEvoy’s achievements, which include winning three Melbourne Cups.

Port Lincoln sculptor Ken Martin with his bronze sculpture of jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Picture: RacingSA

Mr McEvoy senior said his son initially was reluctant to be involved in the project.

“We spoke with Kerrin and he outright said he didn’t want to do it,” he said.

“He didn’t want to be a part of it. He said: “No Dad, don’t be so stupid. I don’t want to do it.”

Mr McEvoy said the response from his son, respected across the Australian and international racing industry for his modesty, was typical.

“Kerrin’s like that, that’s the type of guy he is,” he said.

Mr McEvoy said he had to try another approach to get his son to participate.

“I said: ‘Look, say you’re doing it for Streaky Bay’,” he said.

“You’re born and bred here, you went to school here, you played sport here, you’ve gone around the world and done what you have and you’ve put Streaky Bay on the map, so look at it like that.”

Port Lincoln sculptor Ken Martin with his bronze sculpture of jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Picture: RacingSA

Kerrin McEvoy at Rosehill Gardens in January. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Mr McEvoy said he received a phone call about a week later from Kerrin.

“He said: ‘Dad, I can see what you’re trying to do so I’ll go with it’,” he said.

“That was fantastic because if he said no, we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

The racing club set about raising money for the statue, holding a “dancing with the stars” night at the Streaky Bay Hall, which brought in $50,000.

McEvoy donated the saddle, whip, trousers and silks he used on Redzel when he won Australia’s richest race, The Everest, for an auction which raised $36,000.

Well-known Port Lincoln sculptor Ken Martin was commissioned to produce the bronze sculpture, mounted on the Streaky Bay foreshore with its back facing the Southern Ocean.

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy rides Redzel to victory in the Everest,

Other sculptures produced by Martin include Darren Lehmann, Jason Gillespie, Ken Farmer, Barrie Robran and three-time Melbourne Cup winning racehorse, Makybe Diva.

Speaking from his home in Sydney, McEvoy said Martin had done a “great job” with his statue.

“I feel very honoured; Ken is a genius at his craft,” he said.

McEvoy said he wanted the statue to be a symbol of achievement for the Streaky Bay community and a source of inspiration for its young people.

“While it is me standing there, I can see a whole lot of people who have helped me standing there beside me,” he said.

“I hope it inspires young kids to realise that you can start as a skinny kid from Streaky Bay who can achieve big things if you can find your passion.

“I feel very lucky for everything that has happened to me and very grateful.”