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Robbie Burns Closeup
Robbie Burns Closeup

Photographs supplied by Diane Watson

The statue commemorates the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. It  was rededicated on the 6th August 1989.

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796)  was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide

In 1888, the President of the Brisbane Burns Club, Alderman Galloway, contacted the President of the Queensland Scottish Association, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, to suggest their organisations combine forces (and funds) to erect a statue of Robert Burns in Brisbane. It was not until 1929 that the statue was finally erected in Centenary Place and was dedicated to Brisbane by the Burns Club. The Brisbane Burns Club was a men's club. The general aim was to provide a facility for Scottish people to come together to enjoy, and importantly, to share their culture with the wider community.

The statue of the Scotch poet, Robert Burns erected in Centenary Place, Brisbane, was unveiled by the Governor-General (Lord Stonehaven ) yesterday in the presence of thousands of people, among whom those of Scottish descent predominated. The statue bears the inscription, "Presented to the City of Brisbane by the Burns Club." 
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld), 15 August 1929. 

Location

Address:85 Wickham Street, Centenary Place, Fortitude Valley, 4006
State:QLD
Area:Foreign
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -27.460833
Long: 153.031944
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Foreigners
Designer:Samuel Willis

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Wednesday 14th August, 1929
Front Inscription

Dedicated to Scotland's immortal bard

Robert Burns
1759 - 1796

Presented to the City of Brisbane by the Burns Club

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au