Joseph Weston Sculpture

Joseph Weston is a notable figure in the history of Kiama and its surrounds.

After arriving in Australia from England in the 1852, he settled in Kiama. He started out in farming, then went on to establish the Kiama Independent local newspaper, which went on to become the oldest family-owned newspaper in Australia (it was owned and managed by the Westons for over 150 years). 

Joseph Weston was an Alderman on Kiama Council for many years. He was an initiator in establishing the first dairy farmers' cooperative in Australia, in the 1880s. He was also actively involved in obtaining a water supply for Kiama.

After Mr Weston’s death in 1913, Kiama Council erected a monument in honour of Joseph Weston and all the good work he had done for the Kiama community. The site chosen to house the monument was on Manning Street outside the Council Chambers, as this was where the original premises for the Kiama Independent was located, and is representative of his time on Council.

The monument chosen was to be a drinking fountain designed by Walter MacFarlane. It was manufactured by his company, Saracen Foundry in Glasgow, Scotland. The fountain consisted of a single pedestal basin with four decorative columns rising from an octagonal plinth. In between the columns, four salamanders descended as a symbol of courage, energy and bravery. Above the plinth there was a basin and a central urn with four drinking cups suspended by chains. The crane on top was a symbol of vigilance.

In the 1950s, a truck hit the drinking fountain and damaged it, so it was removed. In 2009, as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Kiama Council, a new memorial sculpture was erected to replace the damaged drinking fountain. This sculpture is a stainless steel wave sitting on a bluestone base, called 'Wave'. The artist was Vivienne Lowe and the sculpture was commissioned by Kiama Council. Etched into the wave is the story of Joseph Weston and his life in Kiama.