Historical information

Leading surgeon and academic Sir Albert Coates (1895-1977) is one of Ballarat's most celebrated sons. A medical orderly during WWI, he returned home to become a pioneering neurosurgeon. A medical man in the worst of circumstances, Coates is often mentioned for his compassion and care in his role as a doctor in the Burma-Siam Railway POW camps. The bronze statue by Louis Laumen captures his down-to-earth nature. Laumen is a Melbourne sculptor who has completed many commissioned bronze public artworks around Australia.

Significance

The statue is of aesthetic and historic significance to the people of Ballarat

Physical description

Bronze figure mounted on granite, amid garden plantings and plaques.

Inscriptions & markings

Inscription details the life of Albert Coates.