About Us
Honouring Dorothea
In the New Year's Day Honours of 1968, Dorothea Mackellar was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her contribution to Australian literature. A Federal electorate covering half of Sydney's Northern Beaches and a street in the Canberra suburb of Cook are named in her honour.
On Australia Day, 26 January 1983, a statue was unveiled in Gunnedah to commemorate Dorothea Mackellar. It is fitting that the statue in ANZAC Park in Gunnedah, depicting her as the young woman who wrote My Country, is gazing in the direction of her beloved Kurrumbede.
Sculpture
On Australia Day, 26 January 1983, the long awaited and much lauded statue of a young Dorothea was unveiled in Anzac Park, Gunnedah. The fact that the figure of Dorothea was in fibreglass, and that she was sitting on the statue base rather than on horseback, did nothing to dampen the spirits of the enthusiastic crowd which had gathered to witness the history making event.
Fundraising for the memorial had been an intensive three year experience for Councillor Mikie Maas and the enthusiastic band of supporters from the Gunnedah Tourist Activities Committee. Enlisting the support of publications such as Women’s Weekly and the Bulletin, and gaining airplay with the ABC (among others), the Committee received donations from 70c to $100. New South Wales school children also supported the project with cake stalls and donations - all in all 90% of the $28,000 required coming from outside of Gunnedah.
With funds raised Dennis Adams, a well known sculptor, was commissioned to create the memorial. A design showing Dorothea sitting side saddle and gazing serenely into the distance, was soon approved. Aiming at competition in time for Australia Day celebrations, Dennis commenced work with a very tight schedule to keep. However, with
the arrival of Australia Day, only a partially completed statue was unveiled by poet Rosemary Dobson.
Supporters were delighted in September 1983 to see the finished statue to be craned into place – completing the
visionary work begun over three years previously. It was certainly worth the wait. Dorothea gazing serenely toward her beloved “Kurrumbede” is a memorial that truly honours the patriotic poet who, in “My Country”, immortalised both the spirit of the people, and the physicality of the land, which comprise the nation of Australia.
At the same time as the statue was unveiled a series of watercolour paintings depicting the various scenes of “My Country” were launched.
Artworks
Regional artist Jean Isherwood, long meaning to paint My Country, heard about the proposed statue of Dorothea Mackellar and decided ‘now was the time’ and set to work to paint the series. Required for exhibition in only two months it was a feverish pace that Jean set.
Relying on sketches and photographs that she had taken with My Country in mind, over a period of almost 25 years, Jean worked for lengthy hours on kitchen cupboards and sideboards to make sure that her tribute to Dorothea would be ready to open with the dedication of the Dorothea statue.
With such commitment there was never any doubt that the watercolours would be finished on time and ready for viewing on Australia Day, 1983.
The Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Society Inc. later fundraised to purchase the collection which it now proudly exhibits in the Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Centre in Chandos Street, Gunnedah NSW.
Such was the response to this original collection that Jean went on to produce a collection of oils depicting the similar scenes. These paintings were all sold individually and now hang in various locations all over our sunburnt country – touching people’s lives almost as much as the poem that she created them from.
To find out more about Jean Isherwood and where she drew her inspiration from see the “My Country Collection”.