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Sir Henry BoltePrint Page 
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![15-November-2018[Diane Watson]](https://monumentaustralia.org.au/content/directory/thumb/Sir_Henry_Bolte-79346-109944.jpg "15-November-2018[Diane Watson]")
![15-November-2018[Diane Watson]](https://monumentaustralia.org.au/content/directory/thumb/Sir_Henry_Bolte-79347-109944.jpg "15-November-2018[Diane Watson]")
The sculpture commemorates the former Premier of Victoria, Sir Henry Bolte for his services to Victoria and Ballarat.
In the 1955 elections an almost unknown sheep farmer from the bush, Henry Bolte, became premier. His long, uninterrupted Liberal rule was a seminal period in Victoria`s history, not least for the unprecedented development of the hitherto languishing state and the political stability that his election in 1955 delivered.
There was a chaotic political culture in Victoria before Bolte was elected. It was effectively a national joke with one minority government in 1943 lasting just five days and another in 1952 lasting only four.
Location
| Address: | Bradshaw Street, Gold Museum, Ballarat, 3350 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.574632 Long: 143.866916 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Government - State |
| Artist: | Louis Laumen (Yarraville, VIC) |
Dedication
Bolte
Plaque :
Sir Henry Bolte " was probably the last 'Australian' battler- a larrikin, sportsman. lifelong gambler and smoker who spoke in the idiom of a bygone, pre-television age, who told things as he saw them, and whose tough, earthy humour and quotable quotes still spring readily to mind." (Peter Blazey, 1990)
"I mightn't always have been right - but I've always been firm,"
(Sir Henry Bolte GCMG)
Plaque :
Sir Henry Bolte's support for the development of Sovereign Hill in its earliest days and later, for the Gold Museum, helped realise the vision of those who founded these world-class institutions as tourism and heritage icons in Ballarat.
Sir Henry encouraged Sovereign Hill to set up an acquistions fund to enable the purchase of items of historical significance for its museum collections. The fund was duly established in 1990 and named in Sir Henry's memory : the Sir Henry Bolte Trust Acquisition Fund.
The Trustees and the Soveriegn Hill Museums Assocation have commissioned sculptor Louis Laumen to create this statue of Sir Henry in commemoration of his service to Victoria and Ballarat.
Sir Henry Bolte GCMG
1908 - 1990
Sir Henry Bolte served a record period as premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1972. He was born in Ballarat and attended Skipton State School and Ballarat Grammar.
Sir Henry worked as a rouseabout, rabbiter, handyman and lay preacher around Skipton until 1934 when he married Edith Elder. Together they bought Kialla, a farm at Bamganie, near Meredith.
After serving in the army in the Second World War, he entered politics winning the seat of Hampden in 1947.
Sir Henry became leader of the Victorian Liberal Party in 1953 and was elected Premier in 1955. During a period of industrial development and prosperity, he was known for the forthright style of leadership.
Sir Henry Bolte retired, aged 64, to the family farm, always maintaining a strong interest in the progress of his 'sovereign state of Victoria'.
