‘The Unveiling of Burns Statue Fifty Years Ago’

Date

May 25th 1937

Identifier

Hocken Library

Type

Publisher

Dunedin: Otago Daily Times

Abstract

Dunedin’s statue of Robert Burns has been standing in the Octagon since 1887. Funds were raised within the community for the bronze statue, which was unveiled by Burns’s great grand-niece on Queen Victoria’s birthday, 24th May. About 8000 people, about a third of the population of Dunedin at the time, attended the event. Many speeches were made that day, one of which was given by Sir George Grey (1812-98), former Governor of New Zealand. On that occasion, he encouraged those present, and future on-lookers to remember the Bard as an ‘inspired messenger’ and ‘a truly great and noble soul’. The unveiling was followed by a banquet.

Files

cab 1 Unveiling Burns1887.jpg

Citation

Otago Daily Times, “‘The Unveiling of Burns Statue Fifty Years Ago’,” ourheritage.ac.nz | OUR Heritage, accessed March 29, 2024, https://otago.ourheritage.ac.nz/items/show/10918.