A life-size sculpture of the famous racehorse Kiwi with jockey Jimmy Cassidy aboard was unveiled in Waverley's main street on 10 September 2023.
The sculpture was the final work of New Plymouth sculptor and retired surgeon Fridtjof Hanson, who died in September 2021. Hanson, also an equine enthusiast, began working on a Plasticine mould of the 1983 Melbourne Cup winner Kiwi at his home in 2019. Hanson used photographs of Kiwi from the race, diagrams of horse anatomy along with advice from retired American veterinarian, Robert Cook to create the final look.
Funding for the project was a challenge, with family and the community having to raise a significant sum, before the South Taranaki District Council agreed to cover the $155,000 cost of having it cast in bronze and the installation. It was cast in Wellington, by Ross Wilson of Marton.
The sculpture has Kiwi facing south toward the homestead of his owners, Snow and Anne Lupton.
Related items:
Cup winner to ride again (Taranaki Daily News 13 June 2020)
Salute to Kiwi's famous win (Taranaki Daily News 12 Feb 2021)
Sculpture gets go ahead (Taranaki Daily News 25 October 2021)
Statue saga on home straight (Taranaki Daily News 28 December 2021)
Sculpture of Waverley's most famous Kiwi (Taranaki Daily News 23 August 2023)
Hundreds gather for unveiling (Taranaki Daily News 12 September 2023)
Lupton Street, Waverley (Word on the Street)
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