It’s 33 years since I designed and built the public sculpture of Islay for the Royal Institute of Deaf and Blind Children.
Islay is a 60 centimetre bronze statue of a Queen Victoria’s favourite pet, a Cairn terrier named Islay. The statue is propped up on a sandstone wishing well outside the Queen Victoria Building, George St, Sydney “begging” for donations.
Islay’s charity work continues to be a regular source of income for this worthy cause. I’m told Islay has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/culture/animals/display/98405-islay
Islay, Cairn Terrier of Queen Victoria
Islay was a favourite pet of Queen Victoria. Whenever he saw the royal mistress he would sit up and beg for a biscuit. He was often sketched and painted both by Queen Victoria and Sir Edwin Landseer, her painting master. The bronze sculpture by Justin Robson was modelled from a sketch drawn by Queen Victoria in 1842. Now over a century later, Islay is begging hopefully for a coin to help deaf and blind children of New South Wales.
Islay died 26th April 1844 and buried in Adelaide Cottage, Windsor Castle.
Islay was Queen Victoria’s much loved companion for only 5 years because he became involved in a dispute with a cat and it was Islay that died. Queen Victoria recorded: `My faithful little companion of more than five years, always with me’ ( Source: The Spectator, April 15, 2000 by Johnson, Paul).
Queen Victoria’s pets
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
A Skye Terrier named “Islay”, begging above a wishing well on behalf of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. … Sydney sculptor Justin Robson modelled the bronze work from an 1843 sketch by the Queen. The location of the statue is actually to disguise the ventilation shaft for the new carpark underneath the renovated building. The wishing well also includes “a poem telling the story of Islay which will be specially translated into Braille, four proverbs highlighting the morality of giving in six different languages, and a piece of stone from Blarney Castle, Ireland.”[8] Since 1998, a recorded request for donations, supposedly being “spoken” by Islay, has been played at regular intervals from hidden loudspeakers. The recording says, “Because of the many good deeds I’ve done for deaf and blind children, I have been given the power of speech”, and then expresses thanks for donations. It is voiced by local radio personality John Laws and concludes with two barks, also by Laws.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Queen_Victoria,_Sydney