‘The Tree of Liberty will never enfoliate and bear fruit unless it be watered from the well of justice, independence and fair play in the hearts of the people’

Our concept for the Catalpa Memorial endeavors to embody the words of John Boyle O’Reilly, Fenian leader and tireless fighter for social justice speak to all those who espouse the ideals of freedom and social justice for which he fought all his life (gave his life).While commemorating the Fenians flight to freedom (of the fenian ‘Wild geese’), it encompasses through metaphorical multi-layered elements the complex ethos behind this inspiring story. moment in Rockingham History

The centrepiece ‘Wild geese sculpture represents the Fenians flying free into the setting sun and freedom and distils the effort (essence) of the whole endeavour. Birds are important emblems of freedom in all cultures, representing, through flight, transcendence, and the ascendance of man into a higher state of being. To the Celts, birds are particularly sacred as harbingers of good fortune, enchantment and healing. Geese were particularly sacred. Said to follow the sun they represent light, inspiration, the concept of migration and the eventual flight home.

The semi-circular form of the memorial echoes the sacred groves of the Celts. It is constructed in local limestone symbolising Fremantle prison from which they fled and the many civic structures built by the Fenians from this same stone. Mounted on a pillar clad in WA Granite, representing the tree of life which to the Celts, with its roots and branches formed a continuous symbol of Eternity, the sculpture. Images of the catalpa and pages from the wild goose hand-produced by the Fenians themselves on their voyage to WA takes the metaphor of the prisons stones to the ocean’s edge

Joan Walsh-Smith & Charles Smith:
 Rockingham Western Australia       9th Sep. 2005