Paddy Hannan Memorial Fountain

Public Art : Paddy Hannan Memorial Fountain 

Also Known As:  Paddy Hannan statue

Sculptor : © John MacLeod

Metal Work By: Wunderlich Ltd

Description : Bronze statue of Paddy Hannan, an Irish prospector who was the first to discover gold in Kalgoorlie in 1893.  Paddy is depicted sitting on a rock (boulder) with water bag and pick by his side. The water fountain is concealed in his water bag. The rock on which he sits was requested to be taken from the deepest part of the mines.

Date Unveiled : The Paddy Hannan memorial fountain was unveiled on the 5th of September 1929, by the Governor Sir William Campion. Following the unveiling , as the Governor was about to take the first sip from the fountain, a little kid stamped his foot on the pedal sending a gush of water right into the face of the Governor. Despite Sir Campion being drenched he did manage a chuckle.

The statue was later shifted to the foyer of the Town Hall. In 1983 a bronze  replica was placed back in the original location (on the street corner). The original  statue was once again moved in 2001 to the Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame.

Funded by : Public subscription

Location : The Paddy Hannan water fountain is located on the corner of Hannan St and Wilson St, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. This is a short distance from the actual site where Paddy and his mates pegged.

Inscription: 

Centenary of Western Australia 1929

This memorial fountain was erected by public subscription in honour of the late Patrick Hannan who discovered gold at Kalgoorlie 

19th June 1893.

The original fountain was located in the foyer of the Kalgoorlie Town Hall until it was re-located ot the foyer of the Mining Hall of Fame on 24th October 2001.

This replica was erected on 12th February 1981.

Who was Paddy Hannan? :  Patrick “Paddy” Hannan (1840 – November 4, 1925) was a gold prospector, who discovered gold on June 17, 1893 in Kalgoorlie, setting off one of the biggest gold rushes in Western Australian history. His discovery lead to the opening  of the Golden Mile, the richest square mile of land in the world.

Originally from Quin, in Ireland,  Paddy migrated to Australia in 1863 at the age of 23 to set up home in Melbourne. Taking on mining work in the colonies, Paddy ventured to New Zealand where he worked the fields for six years. He eventually returned to Australia where he travelled to Western Australia in 1889. He was working near Southern Cross when Arthur Bailey returned to claim his find at Coolgardie. After having a quick word with Warden Finnerty, Paddy and his mate Tom Flanagan made plans to head to Coolgardie. The two prospected in Coolgardie, making a fair living for themselves, before rounding up some horses and heading east to Mt Youle, where they had got wind of another gold strike.

Paddy claims that, whilst on their way to Mt Youle and looking for a stray horse, Flanagan discovered a substantial piece of gold at Mt Charlotte. Paddy left his mates to return to Coolgardie to lodge their claim, which he did on the 17th June, 1893. This would spark one of the biggest goldrushes in WA history and lead to the discovery of deep reefs later to be known as the Golden Mile.

Vandalism : In 1983 the Paddy Hannan memorial fountain was vandalised, forcing its removal to a safer venue. A bronze replica statue and fountain replaced the original.

Interesting Tidbits About sculptor John MacLeod : In 1933 John MacLeod was one of four artists selected to submit for the Edith Dircksey Cowan Memorial. He missed out to portrait painter Margaret Johnson.