Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki Monument
Public Art: Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki Monument
Sculptor: ©
Description: The bronze relief of Sir Paul Strzelecki (1797-1873) a Polish explorer and geologist.
Date Unveiled: 1988
Location: The Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki Monument is located on the wall of the University of Melbourne, Earth Sciences / Geology / Meteorology Building, Swanston & Elgin Streets, Parkville, Melbourne.
Inscription:
This Monument commemorates
SIR PAUL EDMUND STRZELECKI
20 June, 1797 to 6 October, 1873
The Polish born geologist who pioneered new frontiers for Australia.
Donated to the people of Australia in the Bicentenary year by the Australian Polish community.
Who Was Sir Paul Edmund Strzelecki?:
Paul Edmund de Strzelecki (24 June 1797 – 6 October 1873) was born in Poland.Though he had no formal training in geology, the self taught Strzelecki traveled the world examining soils and minerals. He arrived in Sydney on the 25th of April 1839 keen to study the mineralogy of Australia.It wasn’t long before he discovered gold and silver in NSW. Later the same year he set out with an expedition party including James Macarthur, James Riley and two Aboriginal guides to explore the Australian Alps. It was Strzelecki who named the highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, in honour of the Polish freedom fighter General Tadeusz Kościuszko. However, confusion reigned for many years, thanks to a cartographical error. The Victorian maps had the neighbouring peak of Mt Townsend marked as Mt Kosciuszko.
History of Australia – Rumours of Gold
From 1840 to 1842, Strzelecki was based in Launceston, Tasmania, exploring every inch. Following this he spent a little more time in Sydney exploring before sailing back overseas to China, East Indies and Egypt.
In 1845 he finally settled in England.
Strzelecki’s achievements extended beyond Geology. He was also a great humanitarian. During the Great Irish Famine, he was appointed the main agent for the private charity “British Relief Association”. His role was to distribute desperately needed food to several counties Ireland. His idea of distributing the food rations directly through the schools saved an estimated 200,000 children from starving.
During this time he also helped poor Irish families, through the help of Caroline Chisholm to help migrate to Australia.
Strzelecki died in London in 1873 but in 1997 his remains were transferred to a crypt in his hometown in Poland.