Louttit Quarry history – Sculptor Thomas Woolner.

“Every individual associated with either specification or use of granite from Joseph Louttit’s quarry on the south bank of Moruya River, has been a person of great repute or renown.” – Norm Moore)

The following is taken from the Australian Dictionary of Biography:

Sculptor and Poet Thomas Woolner, was born at Hadleigh, Suffolk England in 1825. He was the son of a postal sorter and whose father took no interest in his early attempts at clay modelling, carving and drawing. However, a sympathetic stepmother paid for his tutoring by a sculptor till he gained admittance to the Royal Academy of Arts, where he eventually became a Professor of Sculpture.

He was a foundation member of the Pre-Raphraelite Brotherhood , but it brought him little extra work. He was involved in 120 works of art for the Royal Academy and other British Institutions.

Woolner arrived in Melbourne in 1852 and joined in the gold rush at Ovens Valley. Without luck, he sold his tools and returned to Melbourne where, after digging the clay, grinding gypsum and making his own tools - began modelling medallions for prominent citizens, each of which was sold for 25 guineas.

This brought favour from Lieutenant  Gov. Charles Latrobe and more commissions.

Some of Woolner’s work can be seen at  the Vic. Society of Fine Art  and Mechanics Institute.

Thomas Woolner then spent six months in Sydney in 1854 - hoping to be commissioned for a statue of famous Australian explorer William Charles Wentworth.

He was without luck, but met up with (Sir) Henry Parkes before returning to England – still hoping for a commission on Wentworth’s statue.                                                                    

Woolner and Parkes continued to correspond and during  visits by Parkes in 1861 and 1882, he was taken to see poet and laureate, Alfred Lord Tennyson. It was thru these ‘liaisions’,  Woolner was invited by Colonial Secretary (Mr. Robertson) to ‘provide’ an amount for a sculpture of Captain Cook.

From the Manchester Evening News 13th December 1875

Upon receiving photographs of the pedestal Woolner replied,- “The great size of the pedestal makes it necessary that the statue  be of an unusual height  - about 13 feet, including the bronze plinth on which it should stand. Were it smaller than this, the statue, which is an important part of a monument, would appear insignificant, and would be dwarfed by the ponderous stone below. I could ‘execute’ a statue of this size for 4.000 pounds.”

Norm Moore –“Woolner was unaware the pedestal was turned  from the huge rock that  almost claimed the lives of some during  its perilous journey from Joseph Louttit’s quarry in Moruya to Sydney.”  

But more was to come. When Woolner received a set of measurements and revised his previous quote to 5.000 pounds because of the “immensity” of the statue needed and  “to give the sculptor  full assurance  of immunity from risks,”

Subsequently Mr Robinson replied, “An additional 2,000 pounds had been voted by the assembly and he, (Woolner) would be notified.”

The statue was cast by Cox and Sons at the Thomas Ditton Foundry England, and reached a final figure of 4,400 pounds.

It was paid for by public subscription and  Gov. Grants.  A crowd of 12.000 joined a parade that grew to near 100,000 as the monument to Captain Cook was unveiled on February 25, 1879 by NSW Governor,  The Rt. Hon. Hercules Robertson GCMG, 1st Baron of Rosmead GCMG PIC – and a former Governor of Hong  Kong, Fiji , New Zealand and ‘other colonies.’

Thomas Woolner died on October 17, 1892. His obituary from The “Saturday Review” (London)  reads:  “Few men of his generation had a greater or more telling delivery. He had at one time or another been a friend of everyone his age.”

Next – The equally incredible story of builder and lessee of Louttit’s quarry, John Young.