A crowd of about 350 people gathered in Waverley’s Gully Park yesterday (Sunday 10 September), to celebrate the official unveiling of Kiwi, the famous Waverley racehorse who 40 years ago won the Melbourne Cup in a remarkable dash to victory.
The bronze sculpture of the 1983 Melbourne Cup winner (owned by Waverley locals Snow and Anne Lupton) and his jockey, Jimmy Cassidy, was gifted to the South Taranaki District Council (STDC) by the late sculptor Fridtjof Hanson.
Following consultation with the Waverley community in 2021, the STDC contributed $155,000 to have the work cast in bronze by the Heavy Metal Company and installed, with a major community fundraising effort to cover the remaining expenses.
The Council’s contribution came out of the Waverley $2 million Town Centre revitalisation fund. Personalised bricks for the base of the sculpture are being sold to raise money for lighting and an information display about the horse’s life.
The ceremony concluded with a morning tea, then a special meeting at the Waverley Racing Club.
