Maitland City Council has voted 9 to 4 to retain a 150-year-old hitching post statue of an African-American boy on High Street following a debate over an art exhibition that labeled the item racist. The decision keeps the 84-centimeter-tall cast iron depiction, colloquially known as Jocko or the Little Black Boy, on the main street of the New South Wales Hunter Valley town.
Mayor Philip Penfold confirmed the outcome following the vote, stating that the statue remains a beloved part of local identity. Only Labor councillors voted against keeping the figure, which has stood in Maitland since the 1870s.
The statue was added to the city's heritage list in March after an independent heritage assessment supported by Penfold. Over generations, the figure has served as a symbol of Maitland, appearing on badges, teaspoons, postcards, phone books, and Maitland Mutual money boxes, with a replica displayed at the local bank branch.
Art Gallery Exhibition Sparks Debate
Controversy surrounding the statue escalated after the Maitland Regional Art Gallery opened a four-month exhibition on July 11. The display, created by Puerto Rican-born artist Osvaldo Budet, featured tea towels, spoons, and images of the statue to address what he described as the racist history of the hitching post.
Budet, an Australian citizen who lived in Maitland for five years, said his work was informed by his experience growing up in Borikén, the Indigenous name for Puerto Rico, fighting colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and imperialism. He stated that he had never called for the statue to be removed, but sought to reveal its true history and examine why a public object depicting a child in a posture of service has been protected through nostalgia and myth.
In response to public outrage, Maitland City Council voted to express a high level of disapproval toward the display for disparaging the hitching post. Council members also placed a sign next to the exhibition acknowledging that it might cause offence to residents while stating that council respects freedom of expression and the artist's rights on this occasion.
Budet criticized the council's stance, arguing that the mayor turned his exhibition into a removal debate he did not initiate. He added that council describing freedom of expression as something respected on this occasion should concern everyone, stating that freedom of expression is not a favor granted by council.
Historical Origins and Local Legends
According to the Maitland and District Historical Society, the statue originates from George Washington's campaign during the American War of Independence. The society's Maitland Stories website states that Washington left his horses with 12-year-old Jocko Graves, the son of a free African-American soldier, while crossing a river during battle.
After Graves froze overnight while guarding the horses, his sacrifice inspired Washington, who ordered a sculpture of the boy at his Virginia estate. Similar statues were later installed across the United States and were reportedly used as indicators for safe houses during the era of slavery.
However, alternative accounts posted online suggest the Washington narrative is invented and that the Maitland statue arrived in Australia as a sales gimmick for a 19th-century tobacconist shop owned by AD McDonald. A councillor told the ABC in 2023 that the figure was originally used as a promotion outside the tobacco shop, though noting the Washington story carried real provenance.
Community Reaction and Council Division
Mayor Penfold defended the decision to retain the statue, noting that it has been part of Maitland through floods, droughts, depressions, pandemics, the reign of Queen Victoria, pre-Federation, both World Wars, and the terms of all 31 Australian Prime Ministers. He said local residents expressed disappointment at an out-of-towner telling them what their history should mean.
The exhibition triggered strong reactions on social media, with community members posting messages including "Keep your hands off our boy" and "We love him." While one councillor suggested throwing the statue into the local river, Councillor Bill Hackney rejected the proposal, noting that the alderman who made the suggestion originated from Tamworth and asking if he would mind if someone threw Tamworth's 12-meter-tall Golden Guitar statue into the Peel River.
Penfold stated that he did not seek to censor or remove the exhibition, but wanted to clarify that the gallery display did not reflect council or community views. He emphasized that he was standing up for Maitland's heritage and history in response to local sentiment.
