The idea is the brainchild of the Friends of Old Moama committee, after chairperson Sue Shaw researched the life of actress May Robson, who was born in Moama in 1858.
Daughter to the owners of the Prince of Wales Hotel in Chanter St, Henry Robison and Julia Schlesinger, May, born Mary Jeanette Robison, lived in Moama until the age of six, before moving to Melbourne and eventually England.
She took up acting after moving to the US and appeared on Broadway and in films including A Star is Born, Bringing Up Baby and as Apple Annie in Lady for a Day — a role for which she received an Academy Award nomination.
The Friends of Old Moama suggested a sculpture of Ms Robson, as Apple Annie, be placed on Meninya St as part of its redevelopment after the new bridge opens, as well as a ‘Hollywood Star’ in the footpath as the first to recognise locals who had achieved fame in their chosen profession.
Cr Tom Weyrich supported the motion and said what Ms Robson had achieved was “absolutely outstanding”.
“The things she did in those times would have been amazing, to travel to America in those years — one could only imagine what it was like,” he said.
The council will seek quotes and funding to commission the sculpture and request the development of a Murray River Council Public Art Policy and selection criteria for inclusion on the walk of fame.
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