Geraldton Volunteer Tour Guides Association to install Edith Cowan statue with minimal cost to council

A statue of Edith Cowan will soon be installed at a park in Geraldton after the community-led project got up at this week’s council meeting. Geraldton Volunteer Tour Guides Association (GVTGA) will commission a statue commemorating Edith Dircksey Cowan at Edith Cowan Square in Geraldton, across from the courthouse. Smith Sculptors, who made The Waiting Woman at the HMAS Sydney II Memorial and the piece of Monsignor John Hawes and his dog Dominie at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral precinct, will use the same mould of Mrs Cowan from an existing project, cutting costs drastically. The volunteer group have pledged $40,000 towards the $110,000 project, which it hopes to have ready by March, and will source additional funds through grant programs. The group is eligible to apply for the City’s Community Grants Program. Mrs Cowan was born at Glengarry Station in Moonyoonooka in 1861 and was the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament. The statue will be the third commemorative object at Edith Cowan Square, already featuring a plaque for the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Cowan and park signage. Councillor Peter Fiorenza said GVTGA was stepping up to the plate to encapsulate the history of Mrs Cowan without seeking any funding from the City. “It’s always great to see a new initiative from the community to try and support something that is of benefit to the cultural and historical significance of Geraldton,” he said. Councillor Victor Tanti said Edith Cowan was a remarkable woman who has been recognised nationally but didn’t want to see the statue “bought off the rack”. The motion was carried 11-0.