Sculpture of James Martin, by Alan Somerville, located in Martin Place in Sydney, Australia.
Martin was born in 1820 in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland, but emigrated with his parents to Sydney at the age of one.
He grew up in a cottage adjacent to Old Government House in Parramatta, where his father was employed as a stable boy. Despite the family’s poverty, sacrifices were made to send him to Sydney College – then the colony’s best school.
The young James Martin did whatever it took to get an education, including even walking and hitching the 20km from home to school because his family couldn’t afford to live nearby.
Martin went on to become a journalist, editor, Attorney-General of NSW, Chief Justice of NSW and Premier of NSW three times- the only person to have ever held all three positions.
“He left an indelible mark on our city, our State and our nation, all of which explains why Martin Place bears his name,” NSW Treasurer & now NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet said at the unveiling of the statue in 5th Nov 2020.
I admit it was I that installed the mask on the sculpture but removed it out of respect to the creator, Alan Somerville