ILLUSTRATING just how excited the community has been about acquiring such an important piece, a crowd of around 150 gathered in Delegate on Saturday for the unveiling of Rix Wright’s wild horses sculpture.
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The sculpture was first commissioned for the Delegate township in 2006 for $43,800, with Rix sadly passing away in 2009, and great anticipation had built for the weekend unveiling of his final work.
Delegate Progress Association President, Bill Guthrie welcomed the gathering to the site of the sculpture, which now proudly stands at the eastern end of Delegate.
He introduced Doreen Standen, the DPA member who was the driving force behind securing the sculpture for Delegate, and the lady who originally approached Rix to discuss the idea.
Doreen gave her thanks to the DPA for supporting the project, and outlined the background of the undertaking, explaining that Rix had originally designed the piece for a sculpture in Scone that never went ahead.
Luckily for Delegate, the framework had already been made, and Rix was more than happy to complete the stunning piece for his beloved Delegate, an area in which he lived most of his life.
Doreen explained that funding for the sculpture was raised through a series of letters to the community, with supporters being found in both Delegate and nearby Bombala.
The DPA also contributed financially, while a significant donation came from the Milson family which recently purchased property in Delegate.
Here Virginia Milton shared a few words with the crowd, explaining that she and her family had met Rix and fallen in love with the area, being delighted to be able to support the project.
The unveiling itself was of course the highlight of the day, with Rix’s wife, Jenny, doing the honours, while the artists’ son, Rowan stood nearby.
As expected, the sculpture is of the highest quality workmanship, with the two horses being incredibly life like, and the bas-reliefs around the plinth depicting various scenes appropriate to the Delegate area.
The successful unveiling was followed by a celebratory lunch at the Delegate Country Club, with much conversation to be heard praising the sculpture, and the life of Rix himself.
He was indeed a talented and well loved local man, who was the son of globally acclaimed artist, Hilda Rix-Nicholas.
His works throughout the region are greatly admired, and it was most fortunate that he was able to complete the wild horses for Delegate before his sad passing in October of 2009.
His son Rowan finished the final bas-relief that remained incomplete before the unveiling, and all are urged to come and admire the statue within its new setting, complete with a background of green hills.
