Hobart mourns destruction of New Town child convict memorial statues as police announce arrest

The removal and destruction of two bronze statues depicting the plight of orphaned convict children in colonial Tasmania has devastated members of the group which commissioned the project.

Two bronze statues depicting convict children at St Johns Park New Town by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie as part of the From the Shadows project have been removed and vandalised. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The removal and destruction of two bronze statues depicting the plight of orphaned convict children in colonial Tasmania – which were unveiled in New Town just three years ago — has devastated members of a local history group which commissioned the project.

Created by renowned Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie and unveiled in 2022 at a ceremony attended by Tasmanian Governor Barbara Baker and the Irish ambassador to Australia, the statues represented the 6000 children who were admitted to orphan schools in the state between 1828 and 1879.

From the Shadows sculpture at New Town. Picture: Chris Kidd

As Tasmania Police confirmed they had recovered parts of one stolen statue, and charged a 47-year-old Clarendon Vale man with stealing, From The Shadows project vice president, Lorraine Davidson, said the valuable artworks had been wrenched from their concrete supports and destroyed beyond repair.

“We are a group who wanted to bring attention to the stories of convict women and children who were basically lost in history, because so little was recorded about them,” Ms Davidson said.

“We fund-raised to have statues of two female convicts installed at the Cascades Female Factory, and two children at the site of the old orphan schools at St Johns Park in New Town.

“When we heard what happened we were devastated, because we couldn’t believe somebody would actually do anything to them.

“The statutes are a reminder of all those convict children, and people would actually put flowers there for them.”

Two bronze statues depicting convict children at St Johns Park New Town by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie as part of the From the Shadows project have been removed and vandalised. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Tasmanian Police said investigations into the weekend thefts were continuing, with anyone with information asked to contact South East CIB on 131 444.

Ms Davidson said her group had already contacted Mr Gillespie about the possibility of new artworks, but indicated replacement statues would depend on cost and the success of a fresh fund-raising effort.

The local history enthusiast said she hoped the vandalism was a one-off act that would never be repeated in the future.

“When we told Rowan, he was distraught because he’s got statues all over the world and never had anything like this happen to any of them,” Ms Davidson said.

“His statues always represent people who’ve been forgotten, basically.

“We are just disappointed because we know how many people have been affected by this.

“These statues were a memorial representing a lot of children, and it’s really sad someone felt it necessary to damage them.”

“Since the weekend there’s been a real outpouring of comments from people, which has been very much appreciated.

“I hope the community will be supportive of whatever we do next.”