Rugby league legend Matt Scott was recognised in Ilfracombe with the unveiling of a metal sculpture dedicated to the North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland Maroons and Australia player.
Scott played 268 games for his beloved Cowboys, 22 games for the Maroons as well as 22 Tests for Australia.
Judy Gowing and her team from the Ilfracombe Progress Association came up with the idea to recognise Scott about 18 months ago.
The work then started to raise the money for the sculpture, since created by Jericho’s Milynda Rogers, a renowned scrap metal artist.
With government grants, the help from Longreach Regional Council as well as many raffles, including raffling off a fully-signed Queensland Maroons jersey donated by QRL Central, and cake stalls, the full amount was raised and the project began.
All the hard work culminated with Scott's family and many supporters gathering in Ilfracombe to watch Scott unveil his sculpture.
Scott made an emotional speech including references to his own family and the sacrifices made to enable him to achieve his success.
Many stories were told during the presentations and a few more later in the night when everyone gathered at the local Wellshot Hotel, formerly owned by Scott's family.
Some of the metal used in the sculpture were old tools from Scott's own grandfather.
The sculpture is a worthy dedication to a true local legend and will inspire many young footy players in Central West who aspire to be as good as Scott - both on and off the field.
