St Georges Terrace gets its first statue of a woman
A statue of the first female parliamentarian in Australian, Edith Cowan, has been unveiled along St Georges Terrace in Perth's CBD – bringing to fruition the vision of former councillor and deputy mayor Sandy Anghie.
Anghie's campaign began in August 2021 when she posted her views on the absence of statues of women in Perth on social media, and put a notice of motion to council seeking to address the issue.
In March 2022, intending to start a fundraising campaign for a statue of a woman on St Georges Terrace, Anghie contacted then-president of the Karrakatta Club Lesley Williams, who made Anghie aware of an existing proposal for a statue of Edith Cowan by the Studio of Smith Sculptors.
It was then Anghie committed to commissioning and funding the statue herself, and hired sculptors Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith to create it.
The statue received approval from the City of Perth in October 2022.
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'When you look around our city, it's clear more needs to be done to publicly recognise the significant achievements of Western Australian women,' Anghie said.
'There are so many remarkable women who have helped shape our great state and yet the vast majority of artworks commemorate only men.
'The powerful and majestic statue honouring Edith Cowan will stand proudly in the heart of our city.'
At the statue's unveiling on Thursday afternoon, WA Governor Chris Dawson said there was no doubt Cowan was one of the greatest leaders in the state and the country, and the statue was 'a wonderful addition to our city'.
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