Richie McCaw\u2019s grassroots beginnings will be immortalised in Oamaru stone by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
The Waitaki Valley Community Society has revived the project for a permanent statue of the former All Blacks captain in his childhood stomping grounds and the artwork is due to be unveiled later this year.<\/p>\n
Richie McCaw Statue Project lead Edie Point said the \u2018\u2018village and beyond\u2019\u2019 had been waiting for an unveiling for many years.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Seeing Richie McCaw standing tall, in his rightful\u00a0place in Kurow, looking towards the Hakataramea, [will be] a proud moment for the Waitaki and New Zealand.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The life-size statue will be carved out of Oamaru stone.<\/p>\n
Derek Golding from Golding Arts provided a 3-D design for the statue which was completed in January and was passed on to Parkside Quarries.<\/p>\n
From there, Parkside Quarries would cut the statue using CNC technology before stone mason Daniel Nehoff installs it and finishes off the finer details with the help of a sculptor.<\/p>\n
The estimated cost of the statue is $62,000.<\/p>\n
The project has been in the works since 2015 by the Kurow Museum Committee but was passed on to the Waitaki Valley Community Society last year.<\/p>\n
It was originally planned to be made of bronze but was changed to Oamaru stone due to cost and local availability.<\/p>\n
The Waitaki District Council will be responsible for the ongoing care and maintenance of the statue.<\/p>\n
McCaw \u2014 who grew up in the town and played his junior rugby for Kurow Rugby Club \u2014 led the All Blacks to back to back Rugby World Cup titles, in 2011 and 2015, and amassed 148 games in the black jersey.<\/p>\n