Tommy the Dog - sculpture unveiled

Saturday 2nd February. Whyalla South Australia.
Mark Parnell, MLC for the Greens unveiled the statue of “Tommy” the mischievous Labrador Retriever from Henry Lawson’s famous story “The loaded dog” in Whyalla.

The dog was the inspiration of Dr. Andrew Melville-Smith, the principle veterinarian at the Whyalla Veterinary Clinic and was sculpted by world famous sculptor, Andy Scott , in Glasgow Scotland.
 
The sculpture was made by Andy Scott out of steel to create an iconic sculpture for the Whyalla. The construction technique of welding a mosaic of thousands of small sections of 10 & 12 mm steel together is unique to Andy Scott and  creates breath takingly different sculptures.
 
“When someone of Andy Scott’s reputation agrees to make you a statue of a dog” commented Dr. Melville-Smith “It had to be something very special and after a lot of searching, we came across the story of “The Loaded Dog” and it was prefect”
He said the bush theme suited Whyalla and central character “Tommy” was perfect for a veterinary clinic.
 
Dr. Melville-Smith said the staff of the veterinary clinic regarded the sculpture as a gift to the city and future generations to come long after we are gone. “In the spirit of providing a future for our children’ said Dr. Melville-Smith “It was very appropriate that we had Mark Parnell come and unveil the statue for us”
 
Mark Parnell commented that he was delighted to be involved in projects that look beyond the lifespan of the facilitators ”Too often, the emphasis is on the here and now, with nobody paying attention to what will endure into the next generation and beyond’ he said “For generations to come this statue will ignite curiosity as kids will be asking their Mum “What’s that in  the dogs mouth?” and thanks to the internet, they will be able to find the story of the Loaded Dog.”

Reference: See Whyalla Vet's pets for adoption

Return to the index...

This article has been viewed 5224 times.