Frank Rusconi
Frank Rusconi (20 August 1874 – 21 May 1964) was a quarry owner and monumental mason of Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia.
He was born at Araluen near Braidwood, New South Wales, the son of a Swiss goldminer and monumental mason. After his mother's death, the family returned to Switzerland while Frank was a child. At age 15, he was apprenticed in first Italy and then Switzerland in the marble trade.[1]
Rusconi returned to New South Wales in 1901. he worked with his brother and father near Orange, New South Wales in a marble quarry they had discovered and developed.[1]
He settled at Gundagai in 1905. He died nearly 60 years later in nearby Cootamundra having been an active member of the Gundagai community since settling there.[1]
Notable works are:
- the Dog on the Tuckerbox - Rusconi made the base of the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument and the rest of the object was cast at 'Oliver's Foundry', Sydney. [2]
- the Marble Masterpiece, a miniature building constructed of 20,948 individual pieces of marble. Work commenced in 1910 and was completed 28 years later. The work is on display in the Gundagai tourist office.[3]
- tombstones are at Gundagai, Orange, Cudal and Galong cemeteries; the largest and most dramatic is a pair of white marble monuments to the Ryan family at Galong,
- two war memorials at Gundagai
- the marble altar in Tumut Catholic church
References
- ^ a b c Kerr, Joan (1988). "Rusconi, Francis Philip (1874 - 1964)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110490b.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
- ^ Butcher, C. 2002, Gundagai: A Track Winding Back, AC Butcher, Gundagai, pp 212-213.
- ^ Butcher, Cliff (2002). Gundagai: A Track Winding Back. Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia: A. C. Butcher. p. 206. ISBN 0-9586200-0-8.
External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Rusconi, Frank |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
20 August 1874 |
| Place of birth |
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| Date of death |
21 May 1964 |
| Place of death |
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