Australian painter, sculptor and teacher John Stuart Dowie was born on 15 January 1915, in the Adelaide suburb of Prospect. He was one of South Australia’s most respected sculptors and his works appear all over Adelaide. One of these include:
- “Girl on a Slide,” a bronze sculpture created by Dowie which appears in Rundle Mall, Adelaide.
Dowie studied architecture at the University of Adelaide, as well as painting with Ivor Hele and Marie Tuck. During World War II, Dowie worked in the Military History Unit of the Australian Imperial Force, and as an assistant to Australia’s official war sculptor, Dowie was nominated for Senior Australian of the Year in 2005, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1981 in recognition for his service to the arts as a sculptor and painter.
- Dowie died on 19 March 2008, aged 93 in an Adelaide nursing home, after having suffered a stroke the week before.
As for Dowie’s Rundle Mall sculpture – all I can say is it’s: “Down For a Ride With the Girl On a Slide.”
Wee Hoo!
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