The late, great Bob Shearer has been honoured by his beloved home club in Melbourne, Southern, with a life-size bronze statue outside the clubhouse.
Shearer, who died in January 2022 aged 73, was a life-long member of the club and to the time of his passing, played regular golf at Southern.
The statue by sculptor Louis Laumen and Cameron McIndoe of Fundere Foundry depicts Shearer striping a 6-iron down the first hole.
It was unveiled by the Shearer family – Bob’s wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake – on Sunday.
“Bob never sought or expected accolades, but I know for a fact he would have been humbled and completely overwhelmed with this statue as a lasting tribute to his memory,” Kathie said.
Shearer won both the main titles on the PGA Tour of Australasia – the PGA Championship and the Australian Open – as well as a New Zealand Open, on the PGA Tour in the US and the European Tour and is one of the all-time greats of the sport.
Beyond tour golf, he rode a cart from his Dingley Village home three times a week to play at Southern. Kathie said that the family knew when golf was on his radar as he would begin humming as he shaved, a few bars of “Don’t Worry Be Happy” or “Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling”.
“This was his club, this is what he loved, and I understood it. It was his values, it was the principles, it was the inclusiveness, it was the fun, but mostly it was the camaraderie and the people,” she said.
Southern president Peter Anderson observed that there was a deeper meaning behind the erection of a statue than Shearer’s fine quality as a player.
“I trust when you see this statue, please think about the camaraderie, the friendship, the mutual respect we all have,” Anderson said.
ABOVE: The Shearer family – Bob’s wife Kathie, sons Bobby and Brett and grandson Jake – at the opening of the Bob Shearer statue.