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Prime Minister Fisher
The Story Behind This Mural
Andrew Fisher worked in our local mines on his way to serving three terms as Australian Prime Minister (1908-09, 1910-13 and 1914-15). Fisher was born in 1862 and at ten years old, began work in Ayrshire coal mine. At the age of seventeen he became secretary of the local branch of the Ayrshire Miners’ Union. In 1885 he immigrated to Australia, and worked in coal mines in Isis, Burrum and Torbanlea before moving to the goldfields of Gympie, where he joined the Amalgamated Miners Association which advanced the cause of Queensland unionism. Elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Labor in 1893, he then represented the Division of Wide Bay in the new Federal Parliament in 1901. Fisher rose through the ranks of the Labor party to serve as Prime Minister on three occasions. Achievements of his governments include the establishment of the Commonwealth Bank, reforms in industrial relations and workers compensation, enacting the Navigation Act and development of the Australian Navy. Fisher was Prime Minister at the outbreak of World War 1 and his government sent troops to fight for the British Empire in Europe (including Gallipoli). Fisher resigned as Prime Minister in 1915 to become High Commissioner in London. He died in 1928.
About the Artist
Artist Brian Tisdall has worked as a commercial artist since the early 1970’s. He is experienced in screen printing .airbrushing, custom painting, mural design, watercolour and mosaic work. He has won prizes throughout Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory including the Public Art with Theatre Of Life Artistry at Gympie Muster, the Acquisition Award at the Northern Territory Parliament House and the first prize for pavement art, at the Australian Body Art Festival 2011. Brian has his own airbrush business, Brianart, and teaches Master Art Classes around the Sunshine Coast.
Contributors to this Mural
The Maryborough Mural Project relies entirely on the generosity of volunteers and sponsors from our local community. The artist’s commission was generously sponsored by Councillor James Hansen’s Discretionary Funds. The Committee would like to thank Mr Ashley Bower, Mrs Tracey Christoffel, Mr Mal Finlayson, Ms Tracey Gray, Mrs Dawn Vanderwolf and Mr Rai Whitten for their time and expertise in coordinating this mural. The Committee also thanks Andrew and Aliona Kidd and the following businesses for their kind and generous sponsorship of this mural:
Our featured sponsor is Earles Paint Place, Maryborough who have generously supported the Maryborough Mural Project since it’s inception and who have provided most of the paint and paint supplies needed to complete our murals. Without their generous and passionate support of the Project we would not have been able to achieve what we have to date. Earles continue to support and sponsor the project as a major contributor in helping to revitalise Maryborough through Art.