Hobart replaces toppled statue with garden and truth-telling ring

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 04:38 · Archive

Hobart City Council has unveiled a garden and inscribed bronze ring at the site where a statue of colonial premier William Crowther once stood.

Hobart City Council on Tuesday unveiled a garden and bronze ring at the site where a statue of colonial premier William Crowther once stood. The ring is inscribed with contributions from three writers addressing William Lanne, an Aboriginal man; Dr Crowther; Indigenous history; and commentary on statues themselves.

Dr Crowther is widely believed to have taken the skull of William Lanne from a hospital in 1869 and replaced it with the skull of another man. The council voted in 2022 to remove the statue, but vandals toppled and spray-painted it in mid-2024 before the decision could be enacted. The remaining stone plinth now forms the centre of the new installation, surrounded by native plants.

Contributing artist and Palawa and Warlpiri woman Nunami Sculthorpe-Green said the project marked 'a great first step for spaces to be more inclusive', adding that it was 'about widening the narrative' rather than 'changing our history'. Hobart mayor Anna Reynolds noted that a broader history of the city was now on display, suggesting the project offered lessons for other Australian councils. The project cost the council $80,000 and is believed to be the first time an Australian council decided to remove a colonial statue through democratic process.

How it is being reported

• Toppled statue site circles in on hard colonial historyThe replacement cultural project at the site where the statue of a contentious colonial premier and surgeon once stood contains a garden and bronze ring.Perth Now · 27 Oct, 04:02
• Toppled statue site circles in on hard colonial historyThe replacement cultural project at the site where the statue of a contentious colonial premier and surgeon once stood contains a garden and bronze ring.The West Australian · 27 Oct, 04:02

In this story: William Crowther · William Lanne · Nunami Sculthorpe-Green · Anna Reynolds · Hobart City Council · Hobart

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem