FORMER Prime Minister Julia Gillard is set to launch her biography and unveil her bronze bust in the Prime Ministers’ Avenue at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens in the coming weeks.
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Ms Gillard will make her long-awaited visit to Ballarat on October 9.
Her highly anticipated autobiography My Story will be released on Wednesday morning.
The sculpture of Australia’s first female prime minister has been sitting in storage since
her initial 2012 sitting in Melbourne.
The bust was created by Rubbery Figures caricaturist and cartoonist Peter Nicholson, who completed the piece in July 2012.
Mr Nicholson said while he was sorry Ms Gillard had been unable to unveil the bust while she was still prime minister, he was thrilled she was making the trek next month.
“Creating Julia’s sculpture was just like creating any other,” Mr Nicholson said.
“For me it was about showing her in light as somebody who was under extreme pressure but who wasn’t beaten down and still kept her head held high.”
Ms Gillard will unveil her bronze bust at Ballarat’s botanical gardens at 3pm.
On the same day, Ballarat’s Collins Booksellers is also hosting a sold-out launch of her biography including a talk and book signing at the region’s first Deluxe Spiegeltent on Armstrong Street South from 6pm to 8pm.
Tracey Willersdorf, buyer for Collins Booksellers Ballarat, said the event had sold out in five days.
“We are very excited to have her in town,” Ms Willersdorf said.
“It will be one of the more interesting biographies of the year.”
More than 180 people are expected to attend.
The visit to Ballarat is part of a month long national tour Ms Gillard is taking following the release of her book.
melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au