Rhyl Hinwood

Rhyl Hinwood was born in Brisbane in 1940 and educated at Somerville House 1954-57. Her career began in the Queensland Museum where she worked as an artist for five years. In 1976 she won a commission to complete the carvings in the Great Court of the University of Queensland. Since 1990 hundreds of her Helidon freestone carvings have been listed on the Registers of the National Estate and Queensland Heritage, including grotesque portraits, monumental figures, heraldry, and Queensland’s principal flora and fauna which celebrate the achievements of staff and graduates of the University. She designed and carved eight major artworks for Roma Street Parkland Spectacle Gardens, the River of Stone and a number of major artworks for St Stephens Cathedral as well as four portrait heads on site in the Benefactors’ Gallery of St John’s Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane where she has designed, carved and installed thirteen monumental Helidon freestone statues for the west end in 2019.

As a professional sculptor with over fifty years experience, Rhyl has worked almost exclusively on the design and production of over seven hundred commissioned public artworks for institutions, the churches, corporations, organisations, federal, state and local governments as well as for private clients. Perhaps her most prestigious commission is the production of a ceramic Australian Coat of Arms for the House of Representatives Chamber in the new Parliament House, Canberra, in 1987. Rhyl has also produced many major artworks in bronze including the 120% life size bronze “ Man from Snowy River” at the Gold Coast, the RAAF Memorial in Queens Park, Brisbane, The Memorial to Australian Forces in Malaya/ Borneo and Korea for Anzac Square Brisbane, Mary Poppins and Mary Pozieres for the City of Maryborough and a monumental statue of St Magnus, Patron Saint of the Anglican Church Grammar School in East Brisbane and several sculptures including the Tree of Life for Somerville House.