William Crowther statue: Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre says leave it the way it is
The statue of William Crowther met a premature downfall, but what will happen to it now?
Tasmania
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It once stood tall in Hobart’s Franklin Square, but on Wednesday, the bronze statue of former Tasmanian Premier William Crowther was face down in the dirt, sawn off at the ankles.
Graffitied on the sandstone plinth were the words “WHAT GOES AROUND” and “DECOLONIZE”.
In the light of day it became apparent the fate of the statue was premature.
The act of vandals to topple Crowther came the night before a tribunal decision for the statue to be removed from the square.
Back in 2022, the Hobart City Council voted for the colonial monument to come down.
The statue is controversial, because it celebrates man who is know for mutilating the remains of Aboriginal man William Lanne, stealing his skull, and sending it to the Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Last year the Tasmanian Heritage Council supported the decision, but then came one more hurdle: an appeal from community members who believed Crowther should remain.
The decision, it seemed was not one vandals would wait for, and for Hobart’s Aboriginal community, the act was a long time coming.
“I’m glad to see someone’s taken it down,” Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre campaigner Nala Mansell said.
“Today is a great day for Tasmanian Aboriginal people, today is a great day for the memory of William Lanne, whose body was mutilated by this man for his race.
“We’ve waited more than 135 years for this statue to be removed, it should never have been put up in the first place.”
The council’s decision was for the bronze part of the statue to be removed, and the plinth to be left behind, but Ms Mansell said a new opportunity presented itself.
“I think it would be perfectly symbolic to leave it the way it is,” she said.
Ms Mansell hoped the council would turn its attention to other monuments.
“The public are starting to rethink these types of statues, rethink what it means to celebrate these types of people and now the Hobart City Council and other councils have a perfect opportunity to rethink their monuments and statues, lets start taking more down,’ she said.
“We’ve seen right around the world, statues of colonisers and mutilators being torn down.
“Why not start introducing some sort of monuments to show Aborigines have always been in this country and are still here today.”
The appealed was launched by former Hobart City councillor Jeff Briscoe, and later joined by community members, Anne Burleigh and Chris Merridew.
Mr Briscoe said the vandalism of the statue was “appalling”.
“That is sheer vandalism of activists who don’t believe in the rule of law,” he said.
“It’s almost anarchy in a way. This destruction has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.”
With a 30 day window to appeal the most recent decision, Mr Briscoe said he and others were considering their options.
“Our lawyer’s reviewing the decision to see whether there are grounds of appeal. The cost factor will be a significant barrier,” he said.
“The appeal has cost the three individuals a considerable amount of money, it was round about $40k.
“We knew our one lawyer was fighting five lawyers brought in by the council, we always knew it was a David and Goliath battle,” he said.
Mr Briscoe says it’s now crucial the statue is cared for.
“We are urging the HCC to restore the statue and when they put it in storage that they repair the statue,” he said.
“The heritage council conditions on the permit was that it be stored in a safe place that can be accessed by the public.
“The council has no idea where the storage will be, I believe the TMAG have said no.”
Though the council would have taken the statue down itself, it did not endorse the actions of the vandals, which is being investigated by police.
“We’re incredibly disappointed that happened before the decision was announced. we condemn vandalism, vandalism doesn’t build bridges, it doesn’t build good will, it is unlawful,” Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said.
She said the council would look after the statue and clean the plinth.
“At the moment the statue is being kept in a safe place and we will continue to care for it,” She said.
“Our goal will be to reunite the feet with the rest of the statue, and certainly care for it and preserve it in a respectful manner.”
“We have approval for temporary signage which will tell the story about the project so far and the planning decision the heritage advice, the deeper history of this time.”
The council says the statue was covered in black material to protect it from the elements.
In response to claims the council was told to heighten security around the statue, Ms Reynolds said the council increased security patrols and put a fence around the statue.
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