Sculptures of Diggers appear across Australia, raising money for Invictus

THIS week Sydneysiders have stumbled upon life-sized silhouettes of fallen Diggers in key locations around the city.
The statues are part of a new campaign to raise funds for Harry’s Invictus Games and the Returned Service Leagues of Australia (RSL), and Sydney is the first stop of a tour of the country.

Sculptures over Bondi Beach. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams.Source:Supplied


The national art installation is called “There But Not There” and will serve to commemorate Australia’s fallen ANZAC soldiers and returned servicemen and women of Australia.
The six foot tall statues have been installed this week in Sydney ahead of Remembrance Day on November 11th.
Celebrity survivalist Bear Grylls acts as an ambassador for the campaign, and explained that through “honouring the past that we can best stand alongside those facing so many scars of conflict today”.
“What ‘There But Not There’ does so powerfully is support those struggling with the wounds of their service,” Grylls said.
The campaign is a fundraising exercise for those affected by war. Corporal Stephen Avery who is taking part in this week’s Invictus Games has called it “a worthy cause”.
The 34-year-old is competing this week in the wheelchair basketball event, and suffers from osteoarthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving in the RAAF.
“It costs a lot of money to fund research and to create specialist programs to support veterans at things like the Invictus Games,” Mr Avery said.