Stephen Walker (1927 – 16 June 2014) was an Australian sculptor who was made a member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 1985. In 2011, he was inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame.

Early life

Walker was born in

Balwyn Balwyn () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Boroondara local government area. Balwyn recorded a population of 13,495 at the 2021 census. The sub ...

or Colac,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

in Australia in 1927. He left school at age 13 but attended

Melbourne Teachers' College The Melbourne Teachers College was built in 1889-92 as the principal teacher training institution for the State of Victoria, Australia. It is located on Grattan Street, Carlton, on the grounds of the University of Melbourne. After various add ...

from 1945 to 1947 before moving to

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

in 1948. In the 1950s he repeatedly traveled to Europe, studying sculpting under

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

from 1954 to 1956 and visiting Rome, Florence and Prague through scholarships. On his return to Australia he settled in

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Work

Walker mainly created

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

sculptures, including the ''Tank Stream Fountain'' (1981) in Herald Square near

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

and a memorial for Antarctic explorer

Louis Bernacchi Louis Charles Bernacchi (8 November 1876 – 24 April 1942) was an Australian physicist and astronomer best known for his role in several Antarctic expeditions. Early life Bernacchi was born in Belgium on 8 November 1876 to Italian paren ...

at Hobart's Victoria Dock. His statues were designed to be usable, for example by strengthening them so people could sit on them. Four of his works are included in the National Heritage Register. Much of his work was inspired by nature and by Antarctica, a continent he visited twice in the 1980s via the

Australian Antarctic Division The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water. The division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the S ...

's Humanities Program. Walker also created medals, including the

Royal Society of Tasmania The Royal Society of Tasmania (RST) was formed in 1843. It was the first Royal Society outside the United Kingdom, and its mission was the advancement of knowledge. The work of the Royal Society of Tasmania includes: * Promoting Tasmanian hist ...

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...

Memorial Lecture medal. The

Museum Victoria Museums Victoria is an organisation that includes a number of museums and related bodies in Melbourne. These include Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks (Melbourne), Scienceworks, IMAX Melbourne, a research institute, the UNESCO W ...

noted his excellence in design. In 1985 Walker was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

"for service to sculpture".Member of the Order of Australia
(AM), 26 January 1985, It's an Honour

Personal life and death

Walker had two children. He died in Hobart on 16 June 2014 of a lung infection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Stephen 1927 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Australian sculptors Artists from Victoria (state) Members of the Order of Australia