Thomas Sutcliffe Mort

The Thomas Sutcliff Mort statue was erected in 1883, in memory of the man who was regarded as a pioneer of Australian resources and industries.

The bronze statue stands in the south-western corner of Macquarie Place Park in Bridge Street, on the site of one of Sydney’s first fountains. It is part of a series of monuments celebrating 19th century liberal individualism and was unveiled by the Governor Lord Augustus Loftus in 1883. It faces the Royal Exchange, which was the largest wool selling centre in the world.

Thomas Sutcliffe Mort was born in England. He arrived in Sydney in 1838 and became a clerk with the Aspinall, Browne & Co where he gained extensive experience in local and international commerce.

He was a pioneer of pastoral and livestock auctioneering with particular emphasis on the wool industry and was influential in establishing both international wool markets for Australia and setting the pattern for the later wool-broking firms. He also laid the foundations of the meat export industry in making exports of perishable food possible through refrigeration.

In addition, he was the founder of the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a promoter of the sugar industry in Queensland and a director of the Sydney Railway Company in 1851. Mort was also involved in mining and opened a large dry dock in Sydney in 1855.