© Photo & Text Copyright Nelson Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing. - www.NelsonDailyPhoto.com

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Early Settlers

From Nelson Public Art and Sculpture Walks map: "Early Settlers' Statue. The Bronze statue shows a family arriving on Wakefield Quay in 1842. It was commissioned in 2005 by former Nelson sculptor Anthony Stones."

The sculptor in England intended this work to face the sea; the Nelson City Council installed it facing the new waterfront apartments because, they reasoned, people can stand around the sculpture and have pictures taken with the sea in the background.

But think about it: if you just arrived at a new land, hoping to create a better life for you and your family after six or eight or ten weeks of arduous sea travel, would you already be looking back to where you came from, or towards the land where you are going to make your dreams comes true? Meg reckons the City Council got it right this time.

11 comments:

John said...

Boy..; they must have been standing there waiting for that boat for a long time!

Matthieu said...

Thanks for letting us see the pioneers' faces :0)

Meg Nakagawa said...

John, they got OFF the boat. Their ride is late.

Matthiu, welcome. Ben did some costmetic surgery to remove white, biological substance, too.

piika said...

I, for one, would be looking toward the land..... altho' I love the water a lot!

Kate said...

I'd love to see a close-up of the statue.

Anonymous said...

Hey Meg,

Can't help but think the guy who made the statue maybe knows best rather than the council...!

As per one of your requests - I have posted something for you...

Drop by and have a look.

Cheers!

Bluey

Meg Nakagawa said...

Bluey, you think they want to leave already?

Ben said...

Thank you everyone for stopping by.
Kate, I prepared the close up (not the back of statue, of course).
It will be here in couple of days, so stay tuned.

Lachezar said...

That's the right way: always look forward.

Enjoy your time out

Ben said...

I agree Lachezar.
All ways look forward! That is the spilit!

Anonymous said...

Agree with lachezar - look forward for a better future.