Jimmy CrowPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates Jimmy Crow, an Aboriginal who lived in the area and gave the town its name.

The 2 metre high sculpture of Jimmy Crow, an aboriginal who once lived at Crows Nest, was unveiled in Centenary Park on 12 July, 1969, by the Honourable Mr. J D Herbert, Minister for Labour and Tourism. The legendary aboriginal is said to have lived in a big hollow tree, near the police station. This spot became the overnight stopping place for the timber hauling bullock teams. After them came the farmers and settlers, and so the settlement of the area began.

Crows Nest had its Centenary on 4 August, 1968. The actual celebrations were held on 24 May, 1969. The Crows Nest Centenary Committee commissioned Mr. Fred Gardiner of the Tia Art Gallery to sculpt a life size figure of Jimmy Crow, as a lasting tribute to the man who gave the town its name.

The statue weighs over a ton, and was cut from a block of Helidon freestone. It is a magnificent and unique work of art, being the only memorial in Australia dedicated to an aboriginal after whom a town was named. Voluntary workers moved an 18ft hollow tree stump from the nearby forest to Centenary Park. A fig tree was planted in the top of this, and the roots are being trained down the outside to form another living hollow tre

Jimmy Crow an exceptional tracker and traditional man lived in his gunya which was a big hollow tree. It is said that he knew the area well and would often help people who came through on horse back with directions. It is the only memorial in Australia dedicated to an Aboriginal after whom a town is named.

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