November 11, 2021
A life-size steel statue of a bull built with more than 2.5km of barbed wire now greets visitors to the Nanango Showgrounds.
Local artist David White began work on the sculpture in 2018 but other commissions and interruptions caused by the pandemic delayed the project.
He used steel bars for the sculpture’s frame and barbed wire for the animal’s torso, with each strand arduously bent and hammered into shape.
All up, David estimates he invested eight months of full-time effort into building it.
The result is a sculpture so life-like that it drew spontaneous “ooohs” and “aaahs” from the small crowd of wellwishers who gathered at the Showgrounds last week for the sculpture’s official unveiling.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington, South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto, Cr Kathy Duff and Nanango Show Society president Les Schloss all praised David’s work.
“This is a tremendous piece of art and it’s beautifully done,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“You’ve put so much care and effort into this that I’m simply amazed.”
Cr Duff said she had spent a lifetime working with cattle and was in awe of how life-like the sculpture was.
She also knew how difficult it must have been to shape the barb wire for the piece, and congratulated David for the endless hours she knew he must have put into it.
Mayor Otto thanked the Show Society and the artist for bringing this new piece of sculpture to the region.
“In future, everyone who drives past Nanango Showgrounds will get to see this,” he said.
“I’m sure this will become a signature piece for Nanango the same way Wondai’s sculptures have become signatures for that town.”
Show Society president Les Schloss said the Society was so impressed with the work they have positioned it in a special fenced area at the corner of Cairns Street and the D’Aguilar Highway so that it can be seen by the maximum number of people.
The sculpture is accompanied by an antique plough donated by Show Society patron Gloria Fleming and a jackhammer embedded in a large boulder, donated by Show Society member Len Bochmann, both on separate pedestals.
Les said the three pieces symbolised the agricultural, pastoral and mining roots of the Nanango AP&M Society and the key industries that built Nanango over the past 174 years.
The three sculptures are housed behind the Showgrounds’ fence to protect them from vandalism however, the Show Society may look at other ways to display them in future.
 |
 |
Magnificent!! A welcome addition for Nanangoites to show off to visitors.