Gold Coast real estate agent spots Sun Spirit lookalike in Sydney property listing
A Gold Coast real estate agent has spotted a statue in a property listing which has a striking resemblance to the missing Sun Spirit statue from Currumbin.
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A Gold Coast real estate agent has spotted a statue in a property listing which has a striking resemblance to the missing Sun Spirit statue from Currumbin.
Coastal real estate agent Renee Pannekoek said she spotted the statue in a tour video of a home which is up for sale in Sydney.
The statue, which was by the home’s pool, had a “strong resemblance” to the one which went missing and was feared stolen from Currumbin in March.
“As many of you know, the Sun Spirit is an iconic and one-of-a-kind piece that disappeared, leaving our community saddened by the loss,” she said.
“The statue in the video has striking similarities and I wonder if it could be the same one.”
Speaking on ABC Coast FM on Wednesday morning, sculptor Frank Miles said he believed the Sydney sighting was one of two other replicas he created.
He said he sold one to a woman on the Sunshine Coast many years ago and had kept another one for himself and his own family.
He said it was likely the Sydney version was the Sunshine Coast edition he had also created, but ruled out making any more copies as the mould used to construct the beloved artwork had broken.
“One of the three statues went to a lady on the Sunshine Coast so possibly that statue could now have found its way down to Sydney,” he said.
Mr Miles said he was “heartbroken” by the theft.
“I’ve made four public works on the Gold Coast and three of them have now been stolen,” he said.
A for sale advertisement – which included photos of the mysterious statue inside of the multimillion-dollar home in Sydney – was posted to Instagram in 2023. The existence of the ad, coming two years before Sun Spirit’s mysterious disappearance.
Deputy mayor Mark Hammel said he was hopeful the ‘bronze lady” or Sun Spirit statue could be found and was still intact.
Mr Hammel said council were trying to understand how such a “substantive and heavy” piece of artwork could be removed.
Council officers were waiting on feedback from police and considering future security.
“So I’m sure looking at how all public art is secured around the city,” he said.
“Hopefully the police investigation when they track down what has occurred to it, and we understand how it was removed, that will help inform that work.”
Mr Hammel was confident the bronze lady could be found.
“We definitely are in the boat that it is going to be found. But if it is the case that it can’t be found, I’m sure that is a discussion for council to look at what public art may go in its place.
“If we replace it or look for something else, that is a discussion for council in the future.”
When asked if there could be a bronze sculpture of Mayor Tom Tate in its place, Mr Hammel laughed before replying: “Public art is subjective thing, so I’ll leave it to all Gold Coasters to have their say on any public art installations across the city”.
Division 14 councillor Gail O’Neill was contacted for comment.
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