Chewton has a new street sculpture.
The new addition to the little locality’s larger-than-life carved timber collection, gracing its main thoroughfare, pays homage to font of local historical knowledge, Chewton’s Elaine Appleton (nee Jury).
The local go-to person for all matters local history has lived in Chewton all her life – in fact she’s the fifth generation of her family line to live in Chewton’s Eureka Street.
The 84-year-old Chewtonian is especially well recognised for her considerable and ongoing volunteer contribution to recording and conserving the area’s rich past through means including film, written and recorded word and photographic images.
Following its ceremonious unveiling on Sunday, the new sculpture of the Appleton likeness now graces a site opposite Chewton’s Red Hill Hotel.
Carved by talented Fulham-based chainsaw sculptor, John Brady, it brings to six the total tally of such streetscape sculptures that acknowledge and celebrate some of Chewton’s most significant and celebrated entities, including some dating back to the 1800s goldrush era.
Mount Alexander Shire mayor Cr Bill Maltby helped officially unveil the Elaine Appleton sculptural addition on Sunday afternoon and the event was attended by about 70 people some sporting period costume for the occasion.
“It’s of a younger version of me,” the delighted local noted of the new sculpture.
“It’s of me when I was about 50 which was about the time I really began recording the history.”
“It brought a tear to my eye,” she said of the honour.
Plans are now afoot to continue adding to the collection of Chewton streetscape sculptures with some of those on the to-do list ahead including sculptures honouring the area’s Aboriginal Indigenous heritage and also its Chinese history.
Others planned include sculptures of J.B.Patterson, a former local pioneer of the area who went on to become premier of Victoria; J.W. Sparks a noted former town clerk and engineer; and the ‘Soldier in the Park’ aka Robert Archer who was blinded in WWI and narrowly escaped death when shrapnel pierced his wallet instead of his body.