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This memorial statue was jointly erected by the Shire of Halls Creek and the State Government in 1979 to honour all the pioneers of the Kimberley Region.

It is a tribute to gold miner Russian Jack, a famous figure of the 1885 gold rush whose real name was Ivan Fredericks, and his compassion for a fellow digger.  A competition was held in 1977 under the auspices of the Western Australian State Government, the Western Australian Art Gallery and the Hall's Creek Shire Council to provide and erect a statue in Halls Creek to Ivan Fredericks, known as "Russian Jack'. C.P. Somers was the successful artist amongst eleven applicants.

Ivan Fredericks (1864–1904), known as Russian Jack was a goldminer of the Western Australian gold rush in the 1880s. In 1885, while working in the Halls Creek goldmines, he pushed his sick friend in a wheelbarrow 300 km through the Great Sandy Desert to Wyndham, the nearest town with a medical help.  In spite of his noble deeds he never struck it rich. He was about 40 when he died in Fremantle victim of a hard life and hard drinking his last years spent in prison and a shelter for the homeless.

Footnote :-
A recent published work by Peter J. Bridge titled "Russian Jack" aims to correct the many misconceptions and myths surrounding this man and contains a wealth of researched information on Ivan Fredericks. One of the many myths is that "Russian Jack" pushed his sick mate 300 kilometers in his wheelbarrow to Hall's Creek . In reality it was about 30 miles (50 kilometres) . By this action of helping a sick miner , his legend grew and ensured his fame and immortality.

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