\nThe late Joy Cummings OAM will become one of the only women in NSW to be immortalised in bronze, and the first person in Newcastle to be bestowed the honour.
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![\"Joy](\"http:\/\/www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au\/Newcastle\/media\/Images\/News\/Joy-Cummings_1.jpg\" "\\"Joy")
\nThe statue is currently being developed by Mudgee sculptor Margot Stephens, who was selected by the City of Newcastle following a call to the artistic community to design a statue of the former Lord Mayor.
\nLord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the statue was a fitting piece of public art for Newcastle\u2019s civic heart.
\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to announce that City of Newcastle will immortalise the progressive and transformational leader Joy Cummings OAM through the city\u2019s first true-to-scale, bronze statue,\u201d the Lord Mayor said.
\n\u201cJoy was a trailblazer for women in leadership and inspired Novocastrians through her community spirit and love for our great city and our people.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s fitting that Joy\u2019s pioneering legacy will be able to be showcased in such an amazing and enduring way.\u201d
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![\"Sculptor](\"http:\/\/www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au\/Newcastle\/media\/Images\/News\/Joy-Cummings-2.jpg\" "\\"Sculptor")
Speaking on behalf of the family, daughter Margaret Badger echoed the Lord Mayor\u2019s sentiments and said if Joy were alive today, she\u2019d be proud of the City that Newcastle has become.\n\u201cI think she\u2019ll enjoy looking over what\u2019s happening throughout the City,\u201d Margaret said.
\n\u201cThis statue captures everything about her, her smile, the determined line between her brows, her outward reaching hand and the other hand close to her heart. It\u2019s very symbolic of all that she was, an outward looking, proud, caring person.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll always be proud of mum\u2019s achievements. It\u2019s easy to forget today that Newcastle was a heavy industry town, a BHP town. We had the state dockyard and abattoirs, we were quite an industrious place, but mum still had a passion for greening projects and parks.
\n\u201cShe was also very big on heritage, liked the concept of light rail, and would be very supportive of any activity that brought people to live and work in the City.\u201d
\nShe also said Joy would have been proud to be looking back over to the Civic Theatre, which she helped save for live performances.
\nMargot Stephens said she was honoured to be selected to create the sculpture.
\n\u201cBeing selected to create the final piece has been an incredible privilege,\u201d she said. \u201cTo work on the portrait of such an intelligent, courageous and determined woman has been inspirational.\u201d
\nThe latest tribute to Joy Cummings will be delivered to the forecourt of the new \u2018Museum Place\u2019 by the end of the year.
\nJoy served as Lord Mayor between 1974 and 1984 and was aged 79 when she died in July 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"