MESSAGE FROM THE PREMIER OF NSW
Anna and I were there at the very first Lysicrates event in 2015, and we have followed its growth and success with delight and admiration. There are so many things we love about the work of the Lysicrates Foundation—the way it has supported dozens of artists; given joy and enlightenment to thousands of children; brought the democratic vote into the theater; empowered kids in Parramatta, the rest of Australia, and now in parts of the world by giving them a voice in selecting the winners; and revived the extraordinary figure of one of my predecessors, James Martin, a poor Parramatta boy who rose to be Premier of NSW, and inspired generations with his example. Last but not least, I can say how proud I am that the NSW Department of Education has supported the Lysicrates Foundation so strongly in recent years.
More power to the Lysicrates Foundation. I look forward to whatever it does next.
The Hon. Chris Minns MP
Premier of New South Wales
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Who is Martin?
The center of Sydney is named after him. Tens of thousands of people speak his name every day, but today, almost no one knows who Martin was.
Yet his story is amazing.
James Martin was born in Ireland in 1820 and was brought to Australia by his parents when he was a year old. The little family lived in the servants’ quarters of Government House, Parramatta, and his parents’ hopes were all pinned on this child.
At primary school in Parramatta, the boy shone. All his classmates left school at 12 years old, but James was so talented and hardworking that it was obvious he had to go on to high school.
The only problem was that there was no high school in Parramatta, only in the city of Sydney, 20 km away. So his father looked for a job in the city, but he failed. He came back to Parramatta very downhearted and told the boy that he would have to become a servant too, because the family had no money for the carriage fare
“Don’t worry, father,” said James. “I’ll walk.” And for two years, until his father ended up getting a job in the city, the boy walked, hitched rides, stayed in the city overnight, and did everything he could to go to high school.
Well, to cut a long story short, that poor, determined boy became Premier of New South Wales three times and crowned a brilliant legal career by being named Chief Justice of the state.
To get to those high places, he had to overcome not only poverty but also prejudice, because the Irish were heavily discriminated against in those days.
Martin loved the classics he’d been taught in high school, and in 1868, with his own money, he built a copy, in Sydney sandstone, of a lovely monument created in 334 B.C. in ancient Athens. This was called the Lysicrates Monument, and you can see Martin’s beautiful copy in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney today. Why don’t you go and have a look?
Now, why was the monument called the “Lysicrates” monument?
That story is amazing, too.
And not one but two statues of the 12-year-old James Martin have been created by sculptor Allan Somerville. On the opposite page, you can see the one in Parramatta. Can you guess where its twin is? Yes, you’re right. It’s in Martin Place in the center of Sydney!