It was my pleasure to attend the official unveiling of the ‘Footsteps Towards Freedom’ sculpture installation at Macquarie Wharf today along with the Premier, Will Hodgman, His Excellency, Michael Higgins, President of Ireland, and Her Excellency, The Honourable Professor Kate Warner, Governor of Tasmania.
The Footsteps Towards Freedom Project recognises Tasmania’s rich cultural and convict history, and today saw the unveiling of four bronze sculptures commemorating the convict women and their children who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land and disembarked on the Hobart waterfront.
I have been a strong supporter of the Footsteps Towards Freedom Project for many years, and I was very pleased to provide a $45,250 grant to the Project in May through the Government’s Community Infrastructure Fund that has helped bring today’s unveiling to completion.
The sculptures were made by internationally renowned Irish sculptor, Rowen Gillespie after a worldwide expression of interest process, and they will form an appropriate landmark on the Hobart waterfront that recognises the state’s important historical connection with Ireland.