Practically perfect

The fairytale character of Mary Poppins, created by Maryborough-born author Pamela Lyndon Travers, has brought great joy to generations of people from around the world.

Have you had your photo taken with this world famous nanny? The bronze statue on the corner of this street, was created by a Brisbane sculptor, Rhyl Hinwood and erected in honour of PL Travers in 2005. It depicts Mary Poppins with her magical carpet bag landing on the pavement.  Closing her parrot’s head umbrella, she stands outside the building where a new baby has arrived.

Just 1.5 metres high, the statue may seem tiny, but is actually life sized – not in the likeness of Julie Andrews, but of the ‘real’ mythical magic nanny as depicted in the illustrations by Mary Shepard in Traver’s books.

The statue is the first of its kind to be commissioned with the approval of the Cherry Tree Foundation in England to acknowledge the literary skills of Travers and the amazing world wide success of the series of Mary Poppins novels.

 

Did you know?

The Maryborough community worked together to raise over $60,000 for the statue in a campaign driven by the Proud Marys Association.
Some references suggest the idea of Mary Poppins’ umbrella with the carved parrot’s head handle came from a lady that Travers saw as a child walking with the distinctive umbrella. Others say the umbrella was the cherished possession of a family servant.