WA sculptors Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith, whose work includes Geraldton statues, recognised with OAMs

Husband and wife sculptors from Perth — who have works pride of place in two of Geraldton’s most popular landmarks — have been recognised with an Australia Day honour. Charles Smith and Joan Walsh-Smith have been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for their service to the visual arts as sculptors. The couple, originally from Ireland, have been working together as co-directors and founders of Smith Sculptors since 1988 and have been commissioned for dozens of public statues and artworks across WA, interstate and globally, with pieces featured in Japan, Hong Kong, China and Ireland. They have more than 45 years experience designing and creating large-scale public artworks. Two of their creations are now home in Geraldton, including the “Waiting Woman” sculpture at the HMAS Sydney II memorial. Erected when the memorial opened in 2001, the statue is a representation of the personal loss and despair experienced by the fallen sailors’ families back home. The Smith team is also behind the statue of renowned priest-architect Monsignor John Hawes and his beloved dog Dominie, which has graced the precinct outside St Francis Xavier Cathedral — one of Monsignor Hawes’ most well-known buildings — since 2017. The Smiths have also been commissioned for a statue of Mid West born political trailblazer Edith Cowan, the first woman to be elected to any Australian parliament, which is set to be erected in Edith Cowan Square opposite the Geraldton Courthouse if enough funding is secured.