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Rockingham homeless veteran statue to be unveiled

Jake DietschSound Telegraph
Laurie Drage, Cr Hayley Edwards and Owen Farmer
Camera IconLaurie Drage, Cr Hayley Edwards and Owen Farmer

A first of its kind statue — raising awareness of the tragic issue of veteran homelessness — will be unveiled in Rockingham next month.

Laurie Drage, a Port Kennedy resident and veteran who served as a medic with the United Nations in Africa, spent 646 hours over nearly two years constructing the ‘nameless homeless veteran’.

The homeless veteran statue under construction
Camera IconThe homeless veteran statue under construction Credit: Laurie Drage/Laurie Drage

The final statue will be unveiled on Vietnam Veterans Day, August 18, at midday at the Rockingham RSL.

It is understood to be the only statue in the country honouring homeless veterans. Mr Drage said seeing the plight of homeless veterans spurred him into action and he decided to take on the project himself.

“Everything is made from leftover bits of scrap metal. I’ve picked it all up into big buckets and brought it home,” Mr Drage said. “If a piece would fit I’d put it in and if it didn’t fit I wouldn’t make it. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle.”

The homeless veteran statue under construction.
Camera IconThe homeless veteran statue under construction.

The statue’s eyes are made of ball bearings, his beard is from bike spokes, his hands are from motorbike chains and his legs are from exhaust pipes.

Mr Drage said the public would be encouraged to come and shake the statue’s hand and “say G’day”.

He said the goal was to bring veteran homelessness to the “forefront”.

“Everything the statue owns is in his duffel bag and his blanket over his head is his shield and protection from the outside world,” Mr Drage said.

“He’s nameless because people see the homeless on the street and they ignore them.” The statue will also include a poem entitled The Homeless Soldier to tell his story by Rockingham councillor and veteran Hayley Edwards.

“It’s a story to help people think about the issue of veteran homelessness,” Cr Edwards said.

“People could have been serving us and fighting for our freedoms and for many this is their life now, which is tragic.”

Laurie Drage, Cr Hayley Edwards and Owen Farmer
Camera IconLaurie Drage, Cr Hayley Edwards and Owen Farmer

The official unveiling next month is open to the public.

Homeless advocate Owen Farmer, who helped organise the project, said schools would be encouraged to visit the statue for excursions.

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