The Storyteller Mary Durack’s Sculpture

In the heart of Burswood Park stands the sculpture of the Australian author Dame Mary Durack. Also called the Storyteller, the statue was designed in 1996 by Charlie and Joan Smith and was one of the first sculptures in the park and the only one to commemorate a woman.

Mary Durack (1913-1994) was born to a family of settlers in the rural Kimberley region of Western Australia. They owned cattle stations, controlling over 7 million acres in that area, living, working, and learning skills from the indigenous people. Mary received her education at Loreto Convent in Perth and operated with her sister Elizabeth, one of the cattle stations in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The sisters became writers and artists and collaborated on several children’s books since 1935. In 1938, Mary married the aviator, Captain Horrie C. Miller; they lived and raised their six children in the Nedlands. Mary wrote novels (several about her family’s history), children’s books, short stories, and plays.
Among the many awards Mary Durack received in her lifetime are Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her services to literature (1977) and Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for her service to the community and literature (1989).

Also in the park is the Shelley Taylor-Smith commemorative plaque honoring the Western Australian marathon swimmer, Shelley Taylor-Smith, at the location where she finished the 25 km race and won a gold medal at the 1991 World Swimming Championships.