Top design and top quality for the Featherston Training Camp Sculpture

As the wind gathers El Nino pace, so does the Featherston Training Camp Sculpture as more enthusiasts get behind the vision.

The new sculpture being created by artist Paul Dibble will mark the national significance of Featherston Military Training Camp, which played an integral part in the history of Featherston and its surrounding areas.

Sculpture Trust Secretary Jean McDowall and a team of five trustees are leading the project. Their vision is to have the sculpture, and official WW100 project, erected during the centenary period of World War 1.

“We think the historic association between town and Camp is deserving of a permanent structure of the finest calibre. Viewers will be able to interact with the sculpture and become part of what it signifies – as did the people of Featherston with the camp a century ago.” Jean explains.

“We feel that such an important historical influence deserves to be commemorated and the Trust is delighted to have Paul and Fran Dibble involved.”

The sculpture’s design links structurally and geographically with Paul Dibble’s “Southern Stand” sculpture in London’s Hyde Park, symbolising the beginning and end of the soldiers’ journey around the globe.

The fundraising campaign for the sculpture starts with a charity luncheon on 24 January at the Anzac Hall, the centenary of the arrival at the camp of the first soldiers who came for training for World War 1. Tickets are available through the Trust’s website www.featherston campsculpture.org or by ringing Lesley on 06 3089011.

“We are aiming to have two hundred thousand dollars of the total cost raised by March next year. This is a big ask but we have so much excitement and interest we are confident we can do it,” Jean says.

The luncheon will have a Regimental Mess theme. Guests will be served a glass of bubbly wine on arrival, followed by a three course meal incorporating Wairarapa produce and Gladstone wines. Guest speaker is Tim Shoebridge, author and historian.

“We would particularly love descendants of those who went through the Camp to become partners and be part of building a legacy befitting the camp and for the whole nation to appreciate,” she says.

ENDS

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