On the Plaza Ibero Americana near Central Station stands the bronze bust of the Bolivian Lieutenant Colonel Juana Azurduy de Padilla, who fought for Bolivian and Argentine independence in the 19th century. The Plaza Ibero Americana was dedicated in 1988 to commemorate the bicentenary of European settlement in Australia. Located near Central Station in the heart of Sydney, the plaza celebrates Australia’s Spanish and Portuguese communities and their contribution to Australia. The Bolivian artist Victor Zapana sculpted the bust in 1995. The inscription on the sandstone pedestal reads: “JUANA AZURDUY DE PADILLA 12.07.1780-25.05.1862 GUERILLA FIGHTER FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF BOLIVIA FROM SPANISH RULE”. Azurduy de Padilla is the only woman among the thirteen Spanish and Portuguese heroes honored on the plaza. Juana Azurduy de Padilla (1780-1862) was a revolutionary military leader who fought for the independence of Upper Peru (modern-day Bolivia) from Spanish rule. Born to a Spanish father and Indigenous mother in Chuquisaca, she defied the strict gender norms of colonial society by becoming a skilled equestrian and sharpshooter from a young age. In 1809, she and her husband, Manuel Padilla, joined the Chuquisaca Revolution against Spanish authorities. Azurduy de Padilla recruited Indigenous fighters, including an elite force of “Amazonas” women soldiers, to the rebel cause. She earned a reputation as a fearless battlefield commander, leading cavalry charges and capturing enemy standards. At the 1813 Battle of Ayohuma, her forces defeated the Spanish despite being outnumbered and outgunned. Azurduy de Padilla was even said to have rejoined the fight hours after giving birth to her fourth son. Dubbed the “Lieutenant Colonel” by Argentine forces in 1816, her guerilla forces continued resisting even after her husband was executed. In 1825, after the Spanish forces evacuated from Upper Peru and Bolivia was established, Azurduy de Padilla received a military pension and got recognition for her actions. In the twilight of her life, her legacy and heroism faded into anonymity, and her pension was cruelly revoked, leaving her impoverished until her death, when she was laid to rest in a common grave. 100 years after she passed, Azurduy de Padilla was reburied with honors in her hometown Sucre and recognized as a national hero who embodied the Indigenous struggle for emancipation. Her birthday (July 12) has become the Day of the Argentine-Bolivian Fellowship. Read more...

Among the 50 artworks scattered around Sydney Olympic Park is the Eight Women sculptural commemorating eight of Australia’s finest female Olympic and Paralympic athletes who took part in lighting the cauldron during the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The cauldron, upgraded to a water fountain, is located within the park. Created by Imants Tillers, the contemporary sculpture is located at Cathy Freeman Park and celebrates Australian women’s participation in the Olympic Games and their contributions to Australian sports. The athletes who are honored in the sculpture are: Betty Cuthbert AC, MBE (1938-2017) was a world record sprinter who won four gold Olympic medals in 1956 and 1964, becoming the first athlete who won a gold medal in all sprint (running) events: 100, 200, and 400 meters. She became known as the “Golden Girl.” Cathy Freeman, OAM (b.1973) was a sprinter who won two Olympic medals (Silver in 1996 and Gold in 2000) and was the first Indigenous Australian athlete to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1990. Dawn Fraser AC, MBE (b.1937) was a freestyle swimmer who won eight Olympic medals, held 39 records, and is one of four swimmers in Olympic history who have won the same Olympic individual event three times. Debbie Flintoff-King OAM (b.1960) was a hurdler who won a gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the time she set at the Olympics is still the current Australian record. Louise Sauvage OAM (b.1973) was a world record paralympic wheelchair racer who won nine gold and four silver medals at four Paralympic Games (1992-2004), eleven gold and two silver medals at three IPC Athletics World Championships (1994-2002), and several Marathons. Sauvage is considered the most renowned female disabled athlete in Australia. Raelene Boyle AM, MBE (b.1951) was a sprinter who won three silver Olympic medals in 1968 and 1972. Shane Gould AM, MBE (b.1956) was a swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze at the 1972 Summer Olympics, becoming the first swimmer to win Olympic medals in five individual events in a single Olympics. Shirley Strickland AO, MBE (1925-2004) was a sprinter-hurdler who won three gold, one silver, and three bronze in the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Olympic Games. The nearby plaque reads: Artist Imants Tillers (Australia b.1950) Eight Women This sculpture was inspired by the eight women involved in lighting the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Cauldrons. Seven of Australia’s greatest female Olympic athletes Betty Cuthbert, Raelene Boyle, Dawn Fraser, Shirley Strickland, Shane Gould, Debbie Flintoff-King, and Cathy Freeman – carried the Torch in the Opening Ceremony to light the Olympic Cauldron. The ceremonial medley was a tribute to a century of women’s participation in the Olympic Games and a reminder of the huge contribution women have made to Australian Olympic history. The eighth woman represented is Australian Paralympian Louise Sauvage, who ignited the Paralympic Cauldron. Organic, totemic forms in Aboriginal art inspired the tall, bronze central figure. Its shape suggests a common motif in Aboriginal painting, a symbol of journeys. We are reminded of the epic journey of the Olympic and Paralympic Torches. The surrounding blue poles are a collective portrait of the eight torchbearers. The forms represent the energetic and rhythmic dripping of paint on canvas. They are both abstract and figurative. We see a running figure and suggestions of torches or batons in a relay. Rather than a one-to-one correspondence between a particular athlete and a particular form, individual attributes are interwoven into a collective whole. ‘Eight Women’ is an image of athletic energy, achievement, and commemoration. Read more...

On September 23rd, 2018, the city of Randwick unveiled a bronze sculpture of renowned English cellist Jacqueline du Pré at Kensington Park. The Music & Opera Singers Trust commissioned the statue, and the artist Drago Marin Cherina created it. Jaqueline du Pré (1945-1987) was one of the world’s greatest cellists of all time; she performed at the most prestigious venues and brought excitement to the world of classical music. Her statue in Australia was one of the first statues in the continent to honor a female musician. Standing in front of the Kingsford Community Centre, the statue has inspired visitors and honored du Pré’s legacy. Jaqueline du Pré became passionate about playing cello when she was four. She studied at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music in London and continued learning with the best cellists in Europe, including Pablo Casals (Switzerland), Mstislav Rostropovich (Russia), and Paul Tortelier (France). In 1961, at 16, she made her formal cellist début at Wigmore Hall in London, impressing Britain’s music critics. Du Pré recorded and performed worldwide, captivating audiences, receiving international recognition, and becoming one of the most beloved cellists in the world. In 1967, at 22, she married Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, and the two became known as the golden couple of the music industry. In 1971, du Pré started losing sensitivity in her fingers, accompanied by fatigue and depression. Two years later, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Her last studio recording was in 1971, and she stopped performing live in 1973. Her passion for music never declined, and she continued to teach music as long as her health permitted it. At the age of 42, she passed away. Read more...

On January 5th, 2023, Australian legendary women’s cricketer Belinda Clark made history again when her statue was unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and became the first statue of a woman cricketer worldwide. The SCG decided in 2021 that after 73 statues of male cricketers in Australia, the time has come to honor a female player. The SCG selected Belinda Clark from a list of talented players, and the artist Cathy Weiszmann won the commission to create it. Weiszmann sculpted the statue based on a photo she and Clark chose; it stands near two of Australia’s finest men’s captains: Richie Benaud and Steve Waugh. Belinda Clark was born in 1970 in Newcastle, New South Wales, and grew up playing cricket and tennis. She started playing cricket more seriously in high school and made her international cricket debut in January 1991, playing against New Zealand. Two years later, and for 12 years, Clark became the captain of the Australian Women’s team, winning two ICC Women’s World Cups trophies (1997, 2005), 15 Test matches, and scoring 919 runs at an average of 45.95. Clark became the first person to score an ODI double century in 1997, blasting 229 runs off 155 balls against Denmark. She has held the record for the most ODI runs scored by an Australian woman – 4,844 runs in 118 ODIs at an average of 47.49. In 2000, Clark became the CEO of Women’s Cricket Australia (WCA), playing a significant role in the merger with the Australian Cricket Board to combine the administration of the men’s and women’s games. After her retirement in 2005, Clark held several roles in the Australian Cricket Board and also served as the manager of the Australian Cricket Academy (till 2017). Since 2002, the Belinda Clark Award recognizes Australia’s best women’s international cricketer. In 2014, Clark was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. Read more...

The Pioneer Women’s Memorial in Sydney is a 3.5-meter bronze statue of a woman carrying a baby on her left arm and pulling an old child with her right hand. It honors the early settlers women in Australia and their contribution to colonialism in Australia. The Women’s Pioneer Society of Australasia commissioned this statue as part of Australia’s bicentenary celebrations. They chose the Australian sculptor Alex Kolozsy to design and create it. The dedication ceremony was held on 19 November 1988 with Lady Faye Rowland, the spouse of the Governor of New South Wales at the time. The plaque at the base of the statue reads: This statue was commissioned by the Women’s Pioneer Society of Australasia in recognition of the courage and endurance of our Women Pioneers and their vital role in the development of this country. The project was jointly funded by: The New South Wales Bicentennial Council The National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Limited The Women’s Pioneer Society of Australasia to commemorate the Bicentenary of Australia. Unveiled on 19.11.1988 by Lady Rowland. Sculptor Kolozsy. The statue stands at the Jessie Street Gardens, a small urban park named after the Australian women and Indigenous equal rights activist Jessie Street (1889-1970). Street helped found the United Associations of Women, co-chaired the first union equal pay committee, and was the first Australian women delegate to the UN. About three kilometers from this statue is the Jessie Street National Women’s Library, which preserves, collects, and promotes Herstories of Australian women from all fields of life. If you are interested in experiencing more sites related to pioneer women in downtown Sydney, follow this self-guided tour. Read more...