Artist commissioned to create sculpture of Soup Kitchen Lady
Every Friday night for 36 years, Canberra’s ‘Soup Kitchen Lady’, Stasia (Stanisława) Dabrowski OAM, provided hot meals and compassion to those in need. Artist Louise Skačej will create a sculpture commemorating Dabrowski’s decades of selfless service, which will be installed in Garema Place next year, near the site of the soup kitchen.
Dabrowski (1926-2020) grew up without running water, wood or gas for heat or food in a Polish village during Nazi and later Soviet occupation. She emigrated to Australia in the 1960s, and ran the mobile soup kitchen from 1982 to 2018, which she funded by babysitting at night and cleaning houses during the day. By the mid-2000s, she was peeling and cooking 180 kilograms of vegetables every Thursday and feeding bread and homemade soup to 500 people each week, with the help of her grandson, Josh Kenworthy.
Dabrowski was named Canberra Citizen of the Year in 1996, ACT Senior Australian of the Year in 1999, and ACT Local Hero of the Year in 2017, and even carried the Olympic torch — but Mr Kenworthy remembered his grandmother as a humble and private person who never sought the spotlight: she simply wanted to lend a hand.
“I never keep photos because I am not proud… the soup kitchen is a simple thing, just people cooking veggies, nothing special,” Dabrowski once said. She continued her work till the age of 92, two years before her death in 2020.
The sculpture was commissioned as part of an ACT Government project to celebrate the legacy of significant Canberra women. The first artwork in the program, a statue of Susan Ryan AO, the ACT’s first woman senator and the first woman in a federal Labor cabinet, was unveiled last year.
“I’m honoured and grateful for the opportunity to create a sculpture of Stasia Dabrowski,” Ms Skačej said. “Her simple but profound act of sharing love and compassion, shows us that love isn’t just a word — it’s something we do. I hope this sculpture will inspire others to take action and bring light to those in need, just like Stasia did for so many.”
Canberrans may be familiar with Ms Skačej’s Battle of Kopyong Diorama displayed at the Australian War Memorial.
Michael Pettersson MLA, Minister for Business the Arts and Creative Industries, said: “For decades, Stasia Dabrowksi made an enormous contribution caring for thousands of Canberra’s most vulnerable. Her kindness and compassion left a lasting mark on our community. This tribute will ensure her legacy lives on.
“I look forward to the unveiling of Louise’s artwork in Garema Place next year. It will offer Canberrans the chance to stop, reflect and admire the life of a woman who made a profound difference in the lives of so many.”
Yarralumla Nursery turns 110
Yarralumla Nursery celebrated its 110th anniversary this week by planting a commemorative tree: a ‘Yarralumla Weeper’ elm tree, which the nursery has grown and planted across Canberra since the 1930s.
Canberra was envisaged as a garden city, and Yarralumla Nursery was established in 1914 to grow plants that would thrive in Canberra’s harsh climate and soil, city services minister Tara Cheyne MLA said.
The nursery has become a leader in horticulture research; supplies free plants to landowners in new suburbs; grows plants for government and businesses alike; and maintains a seed bank of every seed collected, purchased and stored at the nursery since 1913. It grows more than 500 native and exotic species, and distributed 300,000 plants last year. The Nursery and Garden Industry NSW and ACT named it the Employer of the Year last year, and the nursery is soon to become the ACT’s first recognised by the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia.
Bushfire and storm season ends
The 2024-25 bushfire and storm season in the ACT officially ended on Monday — and it was one of the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA)’s busiest seasons ever.
ACT ESA and ACT Parks & Conservation Service (ACTPCS) staff and volunteers responded to 42 grass fires and 1,030 requests for storm or flood assistance.
“When not assisting with storm and flood responses here in the ACT, [ACTSES volunteers] have been busy across borders helping with the response and aftermath of high-risk weather events across the country,” Steve Forbes, interim chief officer of the ACT State Emergency Service, said.
More than 250 staff and volunteers were deployed interstate to help in emergencies such as ex-tropical cyclone Alfred; fires in the Northern Territory; floods in Townsville; and bushfires in the Grampians (Victoria) and in Tasmania.
“It’s always great to help out our own community, but these interstate deployments have given our members opportunities to refine their skills and learn from interstate colleagues,” Mr Forbes said. “Many of our volunteers will take these skills and apply them here in the ACT.”
Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, said seeing members of the ACT working across Australia this bushfire and storm season was gratifying.
“Over the past few months, staff and volunteers from the ESA have stepped up without hesitation to support not just our local community, but people across Australia during challenging and uncertain times. After one of the ESA’s largest deployment seasons to date, I am proud to see how well our services have been represented nationwide.
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to every member who has given up their time to assist during storms, floods, bushfires, and other emergency events. Their unwavering commitment and hard work demonstrate that we truly have the best people safeguarding our community.”
The end of the bushfire season means fire permits are longer required and that the daily fire danger rating will not be displayed. However, ACT Rural Fire Service chief officer Rohan Scott warned the public not to become complacent: “Bush and grass fires can occur at anytime, anywhere.” He encouraged the community to visit the ESA website for advice on staying prepared.
Storms and floods can also happen at any time of the year, Mr Forbes said, so residents should maintain their home all year round to be ready for storms.
Exchange program for Indigenous artists
Canberra’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists can take part in an exchange program with Canberra’s sister city Wellington (Pōneke) later this year.
The Canberra Pōneke Indigenous Artist Exchange program is open to artists across all art forms and at all stages of their career. Artists can research and develop their practice without being expected to produce new work or an exhibition.
Expressions of interest close on 9 May. For more information, visit theartsACT website.
