The men behind The Saint on Castle Hill go on the record

After 57 years, some of the masterminds behind the mysterious Saint painted on the side of Castle Hill wished to straighten the story behind it.

SECRET SEVEN: Lyall Ford, Rod Froyland, Dave Greve, Graeme (Gov) Bowen, Peter Higgins, Bob Sothman, Barrie Snarski were the original painters of the Castle Hill Saint.

THE  Saint painted on the side of Townsville’s Castle Hill is now an icon.

After 57 years, some of the creators behind the mysterious artwork wished to straighten the story behind it.

Rumour has it a group of mates drunkenly scaled down the sheer side of the pink granite monolith.

Lyall Ford and Peter Higgins were one of seven mates who painted the original Saint on Castle Hill in 1962 and no, they weren't drunk. Picture: Keagan Elder

Peter Higgins, 75, of Mount Louisa and Lyall Ford, 74, of Mackay, were two of the original seven masterminds behind the Saint painting and said it was far more than a drunken prank which required precise engineering.

Mr Higgins, the only member of the group who still lives in Townsville, stringently denied there was any alcohol involved at all.

“In fact I get sour when someone mentions that,” he said.

Mr Higgins said he would have got in enough trouble for his prank if his mother found out, even without any booze.

Besides, a clear mind was needed for this stealth operation under the cover of darkness on March 17, 1962.

Coincidentally on the night before St Patrick’s Day, Mr Higgins and Mr Ford were joined by five of their Mackay schoolmates: Graeme Bowen, Rod Froyland, David Greve, Bob Sothman and Barrie Snarski.

Graeme (Gov) Bowen, Rod Froyland, Dave Greve, Bob Sothman, Lyall Ford, Barrie Snarski and Peter Higgins 40 years after they painted the Saint on Castle Hill. Picture: Lori Neilsen

The seven men managed to get their hands on some tins of paint and rope from a nearby mine.

“We told them we wanted to string up some fairy lights,” Mr Higgins said.

“They wondered why we needed one-inch thick rope.”

The seven then loaded the gear and clambered in an old left-hand drive American Army jeep driven by another mate and made their way to the top of the hill.

Mr Higgins said Castle Hill was a popular spot for couples to “canoodle” in the 1960s.

“There was a couple up there and we had to wait for them to leave,” he said. “We had to wait for half an hour.”

Mr Higgins said the next part involved more precision.

“The engineers had (designed) a chair. It would meet all the safety requirements in the world,” he said.

Both Mr Higgins and Mr Ford remained tight on how the chair was created or who went over the side to paint the Saint.

But they hinted there was some practice involved.

Mr Ford, an engineer, said the news of the Saint had spread widely. When he was working on a project outside of Townsville, he said he was treated like royalty when his workmates found out he was one of the men behind the painting.

“Some people thought it had something to do with St Patrick’s Day,” Mr Ford said.

Mr Ford said that didn’t cross their minds with the inspiration coming from the British spy thriller series The Saint created by Leslie Charteris which starred Roger Moore. He said the original Saint was painted over and replaced by another one 30 years ago.

Mr Higgins said the group remained close friends to this day and are planning on heading down to Mount Tamborine for the 57th reunion in March.

Originally published as The men behind The Saint on Castle Hill go on the record