Australia's first Big Thing

Summary

Podcast Summary: Witness History – “Australia’s First Big Thing”

Host: Stefania Gotzer
Date: June 3, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode explores the birth of Australia’s “Big Things” phenomenon, focusing on the creation of the country’s very first giant roadside attraction—the Big Scotsman (“Scotty”)—crafted in 1963 by artist Paul Kelly. Through interviews with Paul and his daughter Christabel, the episode investigates how a quirky local commission sparked a national tradition, the creative and practical processes behind these supersized sculptures, and the enduring sense of Australian identity, humor, and family woven into these beloved landmarks.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Australia’s Big Things (00:04–01:30)

• Definition & Prevalence:
  • Big Things are huge sculptures of people, animals, and objects scattered across Australia, often serving as town icons and roadside attractions.
  • Stefania notes: “There are giant sculptures of people, animals or pretty much anything you can imagine… an oversized koala with its own gift shop.” (00:21)
• Purpose:
  • “Australians have to drive long distances. It’s a huge country. So perhaps these big things are made to draw attention to the towns that they’re in so that people will stop.” (Christabel, 01:30)

2. Genesis of the Big Scotsman (“Scotty”) (01:47–03:38)

• Who Was Involved:
  • Paul Kelly (artist) and his daughter Christabel Kelly; the commission originated with hotel owner in north Adelaide.
• Creation Story:
  • Paul crafted a 5-meter-tall Scotsman for the Scottish Motel in Adelaide—a whimsical figure with “tartan bits at the top of his spats, a big hat on and bagpipes.” (Christabel, 02:09)
• Paul’s Memory:
  • Now 96, Paul recalls only fragments: “I was obviously a proven artist at the time, but I can’t remember who approached me to build it.” (Paul, 02:27)

3. The Construction Process (03:38–05:09)

• No Drawings Required:
  • Paul modeled the statue on real proportions:
    • “He measured all the proportions of the giant Scotsman that he was making from one of his co-workers… and scaled that up.” (Christabel, 04:08)
  • Paul adds, “The head had to be right, otherwise there’s no use doing the…thing at all. And so I made sure that everything about the head was according to the Scottish tradition and the shape was my head.” (Paul, 04:34)
• Materials and Methods:
  • Christabel recalls experimentation with new materials:
    • “Fibreglass, I think. I was about six years old and my sister Alice and I thought it was amazing.... we rubbed ourselves with fibreglass and of course we were itchy for weeks afterwards.” (Christabel, 05:09)
  • Construction involved a steel frame, chicken wire, hessian fabric, and sprayed polyurethane, which was later carved.

4. Family Memories and Community Impact (05:09–06:46)

• Personal Touches:
  • “My grandmother bought me a very small Scotty doll so that I could think about what the big Scotsman was going to be like.” (Christabel, 05:55)
  • Her fondest childhood memory: being “walked around the entire Scotsman when it was lying down… but of course I just wanted to look up its kilt to see what was underneath.” (Christabel, 06:10)
• Cultural Mark:
  • Stefania jokes: “After thorough research, I can say you won’t find more than the occasional sparrow nest.” (06:36)
  • Christabel: “It looked to me how I imagined the Greek gods looked, except wearing a kilt.” (06:46)

5. Spread of the Big Things Phenomenon (06:55–07:30)

• Legacy:
  • The Big Scotsman inspired similar sculptures—e.g., the Big Banana (1964).
  • Now 150–1,000 Big Things are estimated across Australia.

6. Paul’s Second Big Thing: Larry the Lobster (07:30–08:34)

• Collaborative Family Effort:
  • “My father worked on it, my brother Tim worked on it, my sister Elizabeth worked on it, my husband worked on it, my brother-in-law’s worked on it.” (Christabel, 07:30)
• Process:
  • Paul dissected actual lobsters at home to study parts and scale them up: “He would eat lobster at home and break it into its component parts and then measure it with a ruler and scale it up.” (Christabel, 07:52)
• Mixed Feelings:
  • Christabel disliked the experience due to the smell: “I was pregnant with my first child and… my husband came home from work, he would smell like fiberglass and beer. And I really disliked that smell… I was really happy when Larry was loaded onto semi trailers and sent away.” (Christabel, 08:05)

7. Quirkiness and Imperfections of Big Things (08:34–08:59)

• “There’s a big kangaroo with very long eyelashes, a big penguin with tiny feet and a big frog whose foot appears to be on backwards.” (Stefania, 08:34)
• Christabel: “I do enjoy driving around and looking at other large things, but with a certain amount of smugness because some of them don’t quite work.” (08:47)

8. Pride, Humility, and Philosophical Reflection (08:59–09:19)

• Christabel: Proud of her father’s legacy.
• Paul’s Philosophy:
  • “Never got proud of it. Once you get proud of your own work, it gets destroyed. You must never be proud of your own work.” (Paul, 09:06)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Big Scotsman’s Purpose:
  • “Perhaps these big things are made to draw attention to the towns that they're in so that people will stop.” — Christabel (01:30)
• On Childhood Curiosity:
  • “I just wanted to look up its kilt to see what was underneath.” — Christabel (06:16)
• On Artistic Integrity:
  • “The head had to be right, otherwise there's no use doing the—The thing at all.” — Paul (04:34)
• On Pride in One's Own Work:
  • “Once you get proud of your own work, it gets destroyed. You must never be proud of your own work.” — Paul (09:06)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:04: Stefania introduces the show and “Big Things”
• 01:30: Christabel explains the practical function of big things in remote Australia
• 02:27: Paul recalls receiving the commission for Scotty
• 04:08: Christabel describes Paul’s process of scaling up measurements
• 05:09: Christabel recounts childhood experiences and materials used
• 06:16: Anecdote about inspecting under the Scotsman’s kilt
• 06:55: The phenomenon spreads across Australia
• 07:30: Making of Larry the Lobster becomes a family affair
• 08:34: Lighthearted take on Big Things' quirks and imperfections
• 09:06: Paul’s reflection on artistic pride and humility

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Episode Tone

• The episode maintains a conversational, affectionate tone, blending family nostalgia with playful Aussie humor and a respect for eccentric creativity. Christabel’s warmth and Paul’s humility shine through, augmented by Stefania’s gentle curiosity and well-placed wit.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode provides a delightful, human perspective on Australia’s iconic “Big Things,” revealing both their whimsical public face and the intimate, meticulous family stories behind them. Through the eyes (and memories) of Paul Kelly and his daughter Christabel, listeners discover the origins of a beloved national tradition—one measured as much in kilometers and quirk as in pride and creative restraint.

Transcript

[A]

Hello, welcome to Witness History with me, Stefania Gotzer. Now, if this is one of your favorite podcasts already, you can skip ahead a little bit. But if you are listening for the very first time, welcome. I want to tell you a bit more about us. We look at a moment in history told by the people who were there. We use incredible archive and hear amazing stories. New nine minute episodes drop every weekday. So if that sounds like your thing, hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts and turn on your notifications so you never miss an episode. But for now, let's go to the story. I'm taking you back to the 1960s when an artist received a unique commission that would end up sparking a nationwide phenomenon in Australia. It's 1963 and the very first big thing has appeared beside a road in South Australia. If you've been down under, you'll know exactly what I mean. But if you haven't, big things are, well, a big thing in Australia. There are giant sculptures of people, animals or pretty much anything you can imagine. There are massive books drawing visitors to a library, a huge bicycle outside the recycling centre, and an oversized koala with its own gift shop.

[B]

Australians have to drive long distances. It's a huge country. So perhaps these big things are made to draw attention to the towns that they're in so that people will stop.

[A]

This is Christabel Kelly.

[B]

I am also the daughter of Paul Kelly, the person who made the first Big thing in Australia.

[A]

Paul is the creator of a 5 meter tall Scotsman who sits on the roof of Scottish Motel. The sculpture is called of course, the Big Scotsman, but it's also known as Scotty.

[B]

When he was first constructed, he was delightful. He had asporin little tartan bits at the top of his spats, a big hat on and bagpipes.

[A]

And here's Paul speaking from the care home where he now lives.

[C]

I was obviously a proven artist at the time, but I can't remember who approached me to build it.

[A]

Paul is 96 and he doesn't remember much of how he built Scotty. But of his seven children, Christabel has volunteered to fill the gaps from her home in Ireland.

[C]

That's the beauty of having got a lot of friends or family.

[A]

Very true, Paul.

[B]

The first time I heard that my father was doing this was just picking up conversations between family members. His boss, George Fardis, was commissioned to make an enormous statue for a hotel in the north of Adelaide. It sat at a very prominent junction where anyone entering from the north of South Australia would see this hotel, I understand it was the owner of the hotel who commissioned.

[A]

Scotty Paul was living with his family in Aldinga in the south of Adelaide. He had worked on several projects, but this was the first time he'd been asked to create such a big sculpture.

[C]

There weren't any sketches of Scottish because they were built from an actual person. I'd forgotten who the person was. It wasn't me.

[B]

He measured all of the proportions of the giant Scotsman that he was making from one of his co workers. He would go to this man and measure his arm and scale that up and measure his hand and scale that up.

[A]

It was a very meticulous process, getting the body correct.

[C]

Yeah, the head had to be right, otherwise there's no use doing the. The thing at all. And so I made sure that everything about the head was according to the Scottish tradition and the shape was my head.

[A]

It was a time when Paul was experimenting with new materials, and so was

[B]

young Christobal when he first brought this material home. Fibreglass, I think. I was about six years old and my sister Alice and I thought it was amazing and we rubbed ourselves with fibreglass and of course we were itchy for weeks afterwards. Scotty was constructed on a steel frame and then chopped chicken wire was put on top of that to make a rough outline and then hessian was placed over that and then the whole thing was sprayed with polyurethane and carved back. My grandmother bought me a very small Scotty doll so that I could think about what the big Scotsman was going to be like. But one thing I do remember is my father picking me up and walking me around the entire Scotsman when it was lying down. And I thought it was fantastic, but of course I just wanted to look up its kilt to see what was underneath.

[A]

And so Christabel became the first of thousands of Australian children captivated with Scotty and intrigued by what wasanta he's killed. Well, after thorough research, I can say you won't find more than the occasional sparrow nest.

[B]

It looked to me how I imagined the Greek gods looked, except wearing a kilt.

[A]

A year after Skati was built, another big thing appeared in Copsharbour on the east coast. A giant banana designed to lure customers to a fruit stall. Many more followed. There's a list of around 150 big things across Australia, though some scholars argue the true number is well over a thousand. Then, in 1979, 16 years after building, Scotty Paul was commissioned to create his second big thing, the Big Lobster, better known as Larry the Lobster.

[B]

My father worked on it, my brother Tim worked on it, My sister Elizabeth worked on it. My husband worked on it, my brother in law's worked on it. And that was commissioned by a fisherman from the southeast of South Australia. My father would eat lobster at home and break it into its component part hearts and then measure it with a ruler and scale it up.

[A]

But Christabel is not very fond of Larry.

[B]

I was pregnant with my first child and when my husband came home from work he would smell like fiberglass and beer. And I really disliked that smell. I couldn't stand it. I was really happy when Larry was loaded onto semi trailers and sent away.

[A]

Australia's big things aren't always perfect. There's a big kangaroo with very long eyelashes, a big penguin with tiny feet and a big frog whose foot appears to be on backwards.

[B]

I do enjoy driving around and looking at other large things, but with a certain amount of smugness because some of them don't quite work.

[A]

She's proud of her father's big things, although Paul has a very different way of seeing it.

[C]

Never got proud of it. Once you get proud of your own work, it gets destroyed. You must never be proud of your own work.

[A]

That was Paul Kelly, the creator of Scotty, Australia's first big thing, and his daughter Christabel Kelly. They were speaking to me. Stefania Gotser for Witness History from the BBC World Service. Please let your friends know about Witness History and if you're interested in hearing more personal stories about Australia we we have plenty of episodes including one about the day Australians went to the polls to decide if they wanted to become a republic. Make sure you hit subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Thank you for listening. Bye.

[D]

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