Unveiling A Statue Of…Me!

Hello from my hometown of Clare, South Australia, after one of the most special evenings of my life – the official unveiling on the Riesling Trail of a sculpture depicting me as a child on the roof of my family home.

This wonderful artwork was created by the talented Paul Leditschke, and commissioned by the Riesling Trail committee. It depicts me as my 10-year-old book-loving self, perched atop my family home lost in reading. As it says on the plaque, everything I do as a writer is because I’m a reader.

It was an incredible experience to be part of sculptor Paul Leditschke’s creative process over the past year. The day after the unveiling, we visited his workshop in Clare and met his equally creative wife Lisa, and daughters Amalie and Greta (his models for the sculpture.) It was amazing to see Paul’s detailed notebook mapping each stage of the process. He’d noted my answers to his many questions about my 10-year-old self, including what I wore when I would climb on the roof to read.

I had a favourite outfit as a child, one handmade by my mum Mary. I sent Paul the best photo of it I could find, and then followed up with my own (not artistic!) drawing…

My biggest thanks again to Paul and his family, to everyone in the Riesling Trail for this special honour and to the donors and fundraisers in the local community. It all means the world to me. I hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes photo gallery and if you’d like to read more you can do so here. Also if you ever visit Clare to see the sculpture at the Lennon Street start of the Riesling Trail, please do send me a photo!