Steel dog created by Andy Scott for South Australia vet clinic.

World renowned Scottish sculptor, Andy Scott, has created an breath taking iconic sculpture for the Whyalla, South Australia. The construction technique of welding a mosaic of thousands of small sections of 10 & 12 mm steel together is unique to Andy Scott and creates radically different sculptures. The statue is of 'Tommy' the mischievous Labrador Retriever from Henry Lawson's famous story "The loaded dog"

The dog was the inspiration of Dr. Andrew Melville-Smith, the principle veterinarian at the Whyalla Veterinary Clinic and was sculpted by world famous sculptor, Andy Scott , in Glasgow Scotland and shipped out to Australia.

"When someone of Andy Scott's reputation agrees to make you a statue of a dog" commented Dr. Melville-Smith "It had to be something very special and after a lot of searching, we came across the story of "The Loaded Dog" and it was prefect? He said the bush theme suited Whyalla and central character "Tommy" was perfect for a veterinary clinic.

The statue was unveiled by Mark Parnell, MLC Leader of the Green Party in South Australia. Dr. Melville-Smith said the staff of the veterinary clinic regarded the sculpture as a gift to the city and future generations to come long after we are gone. "In the spirit of providing a future for our children" said Dr. Melville-Smith "It was very appropriate that we had Mark Parnell come and unveil the statue for us"

Mark Parnell commented that he was delighted to be involved in projects that look beyond the lifespan of the facilitators "Too often, the emphasis is on the here and now, with nobody paying attention to what will endure into the next generation and beyond" he said "For generations to come this statue will ignite curiosity as kids will be asking their Mum "What's that in the dogs mouth?" and thanks to the internet, they will be able to find the story of the Loaded Dog."

In keeping with the environmental message, Whyalla Mayor, Jim Pollock, expressed delight at having the statue in Whyalla and presented Carmel Dundon from Trees for Life with a cheque for $250.00 to plant native trees to remove the carbon emissions from the manufacture and transport of the statue from Glasgow to Whyalla. He said that the vets and nurses care a great deal about our planet and we needed to pay a lot more attention to ensure that there is clean air, water and soils for future generations.

Carmel Dundon accepted the cheque on behalf of Carbon Neutral and explained that the trees would be protected for a minimum of 70 years to ensure that the carbon content is locked away and not released into the environment. "In addition to the removal of carbon, these plantations provide a habitat for the native animals" She said "and help control salinity by drawing down the surface water table removing the salts from the surface layers".