Hobart replaces Crowther statue with garden and bronze ring — ABC News Australia

In Hobart, Australia, a permanent art installation has opened at the site in Franklin Square where a statue of colonial surgeon and politician William Crowther previously stood. It consists of a garden of native plants around the preserved plinth and a bronze ring with inscriptions. As ABC News Australia reports, the project is considered the first case in the country in which a municipality decided through a democratic process to remove a colonial statue.

Stories on the bronze ring

Three texts have been placed on the bronze ring: about Crowther and colonial life, about William Lanne and the history of the Palawa people, and about the role of statues in public memory. Each author limited their inscription to 250 words, while full versions of the texts are available through a QR code at the site.

Architect Matt Hinds explained that the garden refers to the past of this area, which before colonisation was an open flowering field. According to him, the bronze ring recalls both the material of the former sculpture and Lanne's work on whaling ships, where bronze was an important material. Visitors are invited to walk around the garden in a circle and read the texts placed there.

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More than five years of consultations

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the installation was the result of more than five years of consultations with the community and is intended to provide a more honest and complete understanding of the city's history. According to her, the project does not erase history but adds context and perspectives that have often been absent from public spaces.

Vandals cut off the Crowther statue at the ankles in mid-2024 — several hours before the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld the city council's decision to arrange its removal. Most historians, according to ABC News Australia, agree that Crowther entered a morgue in the 19th century and stole the skull of the deceased Aboriginal man William Lanne for pseudoscientific research.

The original bronze sculpture was restored, including the cut areas at the ankles, but Hobart City Council keeps it in storage. The project was preceded by temporary artworks by Palawa artists and public consultations.