“Milly the Filly” wins National Fieldays sculpture competition

“Milly the Filly” has taken out this year’s National Fieldays sculpture competition, and her creator Todd Harris is happy to convert trash to treasure for the second year running.

“A lot of it’s New Zealand history,” says Harris, whose sculpture has been a hit with families at Fieldays.

The idea for the filly came to the Ngongotaha man when he saw the motorbike by Te Aroha’s Adrien Worley, and decided to see what scrap metal he could drum together in six weeks.

The authentic-looking sculpture is made mostly from tractor parts with chains, tyre spokes and rusted pipes, but he had to sacrifice his wheelbarrow for part of the body.

“That was my wheelbarrow and I was using it, but I had to use whatever was laying around.”

Some of the parts had been ‘laying around’ Harris’ farm for ten years, some he came across in the Rotorua scrap metal yards in the last few weeks, but all of it is precious, says Harris.

“I love turning [scraps] into art. This stuff just gets dumped. To me it’s sad I have to go down to scrap yards and get the stuff.”

If she doesn’t sell, Harris will show off Milly at an upcoming exhibition in Rotorua, but never likes parting with his one-off pieces.

The ex-panel beater now devotes all his time to building sculptures, saying next year’s entry will be “down horse lines again”.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup is also on Harris’ mind, with ideas for a less-rustic sculpture of a rugby player outside Eden Park.

For now, he is focussed on churning out something for Equidays in November, and would love any scrap metal sent his way.

Contact harrisdesign@xtra.co.nz if you would like to donate to Harris’ next endeavour.