Ernest Rutherford memorial

The Ernest Rutherford memorial is a statue of New Zealand scientist Ernest Rutherford, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908. It depicts Rutherford as a child, and is located near his birthplace in Brightwater, New Zealand.[1] The sculptor was Paul Walshe of Monaco.[2] The memorial cost $400,000 and was opened in 1991.

Ernest Rutherford memorial
ArtistPaul Walshe
Year1991
LocationBrightwater, New Zealand
Coordinates41.3772°S 173.1018°E / -41.3772; 173.1018

History

The idea for having a memorial for Rutherford was brought up in a meeting of October 1981. Initially, the plan was to create a statue of an atom, but it was scrapped after the thought that it could become the site of an anti-nuclear protest. The plan for the current design of the memorial was approved in late 1988.[3]

The Waimea District Council allocated $12,000 for landscaping and building walls for the memorial. There was a delay because part of the land used for the memorial was not owned by the council. The owner did not transfer the land to public ownership in time due to a dispute.[3]

Writing in The Nelson Mail on 23 February 1988, John Campbell of University of Canterbury's physics department described the monument as a "national disgrace", saying that Rutherford lives through his work in science.[3]

The memorial was opened on 6 December 1991 by Governor-General Dame Catherine Tizard after a total cost of $400,000. Guests of the opening included Rutherford's grandchildren.[3]

Between one and two in the morning on Friday 5 August 2022 the statue was stolen. Footage from CCTV showed a man who had tied a rope around the statue and rocked it back and forth until it snapped about half an hour later.[4] It was taken away by bicycle,[4] and was brought back by police on Sunday afternoon after it had been found in an attic.[5][6]

Other statues of Rutherford

There is another statue of Rutherford splitting the atom in Qingpu Statue Garden in Shanghai, China.[7]

References
  1. "Ernest Rutherford memorial, Brightwater". nzhistory.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  2. Hubbard, Catherine (8 August 2022). "Disbelief at theft of statue". The Nelson Mail. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023 – via ProQuest.
  3. "Development of the Rutherford Memorial". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  4. Hubbard, Catherine (6 August 2022). "Statue theft by bike-riding thief leaves community 'disappointed and in disbelief'". Stuff. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  5. Townshend, Katie (8 August 2022). "Statue of Lord Ernest Rutherford retrieved as accused thief runs into river". Stuff. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  6. Sivignon, Cherie (13 August 2022). "Praise for quick work on statue theft". The Nelson Mail. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023 – via ProQuest.
  7. "Statue, Ernest?". The New Zealand Herald. 13 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023 – via ProQuest.
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