'Mr Poetry'

This eye-catching and life-sized statue is situated on the corner of Brunswick Street and Argyle Street in the colorful Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. It depicts Adrian Rawlins.

Rawlins was born in 1939. He grew up in Melbourne and made a name for himself in the 1960s promoting music events,  presenting poetry, and conducting jazz sessions on the radio. He was an ever-present feature at many events across the city, and in 1970, he was the MC at Australia’s first-ever rock festival, Pilgrimage For Pop, held at Ourimbah in New South Wales.

This life-sized sculpture pays tribute to his warm character and creative talent. Its location in Fitzroy was chosen because it’s where Rawlins once sold audiotapes to the public of recorded Shakespeare sonnets made by himself. The sculpture was designed and constructed by Australian artist, Peter Corlett. 

The plaque on the statue sums up his life and attitude of not taking things too seriously: “Adrian Rawlins: poet, performer, organiser, entrepreneur, raconteur, ratbag, stirrer, hipster, counter culture Guru OM.”